


Taki

by xAzusax (Azusa)



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Drama, Gen, M/M, Mpreg, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-23
Updated: 2014-08-21
Packaged: 2017-12-24 10:55:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 61,979
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/939146
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Azusa/pseuds/xAzusax
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Aomine's life was going great. Kise loved him, and he was scouted to play in America. But on the day of departure, Kise left him and he boarded the plane alone. Five years later, Aomine returns to Japan, not quite over his past love. He seeks an explanation, and his whole world is turned upside down when it shows up in the form of a little girl who looks just like Kise.</p><p>Disclaimer: I started writing this at 15 and finished it a year after. It's pretty cringy. This was my first multi-chapter fan fiction and while it's not my best, it certainly is something I'm proud of. I hope that you enjoy it but do keep in mind that I wrote it as a young teenager... who had dubious knowledge in matters of love and sex.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Long Time No See

_Long, strong arms pushed him away, rejecting the blue haired teen._

_"I'm sorry Aominecchi, but I can't go with you."_

_The blue haired boy gripped his lover's wrist and snarled, "What bullshit are you spouting out now, Kise? You promised that you'd come with me, you little bastard. Why the fuck are you backing out now?"_

_Amber eyes that he had fallen in love with long ago turned dark, and they shifted themselves away from him. "I only said I'd go, because you wouldn't have accepted otherwise."_

_"Hell yeah I wouldn't," he gripped harder and Kise winced, "That still stands too. Get your ass on this plane right now or I'll get off too."_

_"Let go of me, Aominecchi."_

_"Come with me."_

_"No," the blonde said firmly._

_Glaring, Aomine frowned, "Fine. Then I'll be getti – "_

_"No," the boy said again, "You're going to America. They scouted you, and this is a once in a lifetime opportunity."_

_"Fuck yeah it is, but I'm not leaving you. Cut the crap!" He yanked Kise's arm so hard that the model thought his arm was going to get pulled out of the socket. Panicking, he yelled out._

_"Kagamicchi!"_

_Aomine felt a blow to his back and let go of Kise. He coughed and turned violently to see who had dared to get physical with him. Towering above his crouched form, he found Kagami Taiga._

_"Screw off," he spat, "This is between me and Kise. If you get anymore involved, I'll kill you."_

_Kagami ignored the tanned boy's threat – much to his annoyance – and grabbed hold of him. The big red head then proceeded to lug Aomine back into the plane. As much as he tried to struggle, being forced to walk backwards threw him off, and it didn't help him when Kise shoved him inside. The two taller men fell backwards through the entrance of the plane door and landed roughly on the floor. Aomine watched as Kise advanced slowly up the stairs and bent down, lowering his face so it could meet his own._

_"Aominecchi," he whispered, "I'm not going, but you will – and that's final."_

_"Shut up, Kise! That's not what's going to happen! Tell me, goddammit, why won't you come with me. You're my boyfriend for fuck's sake!"_

_The next thing Aomine felt was a sharp, painful sting across his left cheek. He reached it with one hand to feel the spot, cringing as his large fingers made contact at the bruising, warm flesh. In rage, he looked around to find the cause of his injury, only to find nothing but Kise's raised hand, palm sweaty and red._

_"Not anymore," he heard the blonde boy say, quietly._

_Helplessly, he watched as the model turned around and walked down the steps. He continued to stare after the plane door shut, and didn't stop even as the aircraft roared to life._

_Moments later, he was in the air, on his way to America._

_It wasn't until then that he realized what had happened._

_It wasn't until then that he fully came to understand that:_

  1. _Kise had slapped him._
  2. _Kise had broken up with him._



_and last but not least:_

3.  _Kise didn't turn back at all, not even once._

* * *

 

Aomine woke up in a cold sweat, heart racing and lips trembling. _Just a dream,_ he thought, _that was a long time ago, I'm okay now...._

It's been five years now, since that day. The day when the basketball pro had been given the offer of his dreams... and stripped of the love of his life. Normally, he wouldn't have looked back as basketball was his one true passion, but Kise... he was _really something_. Closing his eyes behind the safe cover of his own tanned hand, he unlocked the gate that usually blocked up his memories of _him_. Their first meeting, Kise's constant one-on-one challenges, the other boy's confession, their first kiss, their first time – the bittersweet pieces of his happiest era flowed out endlessly and he could feel them heal his shattered heart, while also tearing it apart again in a vicious cycle. Half a decade later, you'd expect him to have forgotten. But Aomine knew, you just don't simply forget a love like theirs.

 

Despite all this hurt, he was still able to play as he usually did in his games in the NBA. Frankly, it was only basketball that could distract him long enough to keep him sane (which was ironic really...basketball was what tore him away from his love). During the nights afterwards though, nothing could stop his muse from haunting him in the unforgiving dark. If his coach didn't prohibit the use of drugs or alcohol during the seasons, Aomine knew that he'd have spent every waking moment on them, just so Kise would fade away. Just so he wouldn't have to think about how he was doing back in Japan. It helped him stop wondering if Kise had found someone else, someone who wouldn't leave for America like he did. Someone who thought they could love him as much as he did. Someone who would be kissing the model's soft lips right now and whispering sweet words before turning off the lights and –  

 

"Shit," he murmured.

 

Biting his bottom lip, he willed himself to stop thinking about it. Kise was the past. When he got to Japan, he wouldn't look for him – no. He would meet up with his old friends and catch up. If Kise were to show up, well, he'd see the new Aomine. Aomine would pretend he didn't notice Kise until the other man spoke up. Even then, Aomine would act indifferent, and Kise would realize how stupid he was to have broken up with him and then...

 

_And then we'd get back together again..._

Who was he kidding? He still wasn't over the blonde.

 

"Sir?" a soft and gentle voice called out.

 

Aomine let one eye peek out through his fingers. "Yes?"

 

"Are you okay?" the flight attendant had on a worried expression, "May I help you with anything?"

 

"Oh," _You could build me a time machine to start off with, "_ Could you turn the air vent away from me? The AC is drying up my eyes."

 

The young lady smiled and reached to adjust the vent as he wanted, but stopped upon reaching it.

 

"Sir?"

 

"What is it now?"

 

"Your air vent is closed...."

 

Aomine went quiet and feigned sleep, fully aware that the warm, salty liquid that slid down his cheek was not the result of dry eyes.

 

 

* * *

 

 

The rumbling of the aircraft grew louder until the thundering sounds of the engine awoke Aomine from his deep slumber. Wiping the drool off with his wrist, he squinted his eyes, irritated from the rude awakening. His head throbbed painfully from the hangover he had after downing all of those beers. Groaning, he asked the flight attendant for a glass of water, who happily served him. Ignoring the squeals the other girls made when the attendant returned to the cabin, he chugged half the bottle before leaning back and sighing. What the hell did Kise do to him, he wondered. How could anyone have been able to make him feel as pitiful as he did now? With no one to provide him with an answer, and he too hung-over to utilize his tired mind, he glanced out the large window next to his seat. As his vision returned back to normal, he realized that the sudden noise was due to the fact that they had been landing. Japanese signs could be seen in the distance.

 

 _I'm back,_ he thought absentmindedly.

 

Cringing, he managed somehow to stand up and walk out fairly normally (if stumbling around as if he was a bee with a broken wing looked normal). Warm, bright sunshine greeted his dark skin, and despite the heat, a refreshing breeze helped clear his fuzzy brain. Descending the stairs, the blue haired man looked around for his ride. Akashi had said that he'd send someone to pick him up, since Aomine no longer had anything left in Japan, let alone a car. For this vacation of his, he'd leech off whoever was the poor sap his former captain had sent.

 

Unfortunately, not a familiar sight was to be seen. Annoyed, he walked towards the airport gates, deciding to call Akashi. When the man didn't pick up, Aomine gave up and walked to hail a taxi. He was about to exit the automatic doors leading to the cab pick-up zone when a hand grabbed onto his.

 

"What do you – oh.." a mop of light blue hair and eyes stared blankly up at him, "Tetsu. What are you doing here?"

 

"Obviously to pick you up, Aomine-kun."

 

The basketball player snorted, "You're late."

 

"I've been next to you ever since you got off the plane," the smaller boy pouted, feeling falsely accused.

 

"... Still got zero presence, as always, huh?"

 

"You're still as rude as ever, Aomine-kun," but he smiled while saying that.

 

The two men exchanged fist bumps and Aomine followed his best friend into his car. It was kind of small, and the long-limbed pro found himself folded uncomfortably.

 

"Oi, Tetsu, couldn't you have gotten a bigger car?"

 

"You're just abnormally tall, Aomine-kun."

 

He scowled, but knew there wasn't any point in talking further. The tanned man instead chose to stare out the window, surprised at how little the neighbourhood had changed. The convenience store that the Teiko basketball team had visited together remained open, and he smirked when he saw a group of high school boys horsing around outside of it. He also remembered that it was there that he always found magazines with Kise in them. The last he saw had been about Kise's hair. Apparently, people were fascinated how he was able to keep his blonde hair so smooth and silky (weird thing to say about a guy, in his opinion, but he couldn't deny that it was true). He too, had loved the shade of blonde his ex-boyfriend had donned. No one else had such a pure colour... nothing else could match it. He'd recognize it anywhere. It was just like that blob over there on the court...

 

Aomine slammed his hand against the passenger seat handle and yelled, "Stop the car, Tetsu!"

 

"I can't, Aomine-kun!" the other man said, "We're in the middle of the road!"

 

At that moment, Aomine forgot his vow to not look for Kise. He was sure, _so sure,_ that on that court was him. Frustrated, he kicked the door and let out a yell.

 

"Calm down Aomine-kun!" Kuroko glared at him, "There's a parking lot up ahead. I'll park and you an get out from there."

 

Tapping impatiently against the car's windowsill, Aomine clenched his teeth together. He needed to see the model again, whether to move on or to find out that he still loved him not just in memory – but in reality – it didn't matter. For five years, what he really wanted was an explanation on the sudden break up. He didn't care if he was contradictory right now or if he was changing his mind too often... he was a man who acted on impulse anyways.

 

After what felt like a millennium, Kuroko parked his car and Aomine slammed the door opened, not bothering to close it. With long strides, he ran back towards the old basketball courts all while ignoring Kuroko's shouts and the numbness he felt in his legs. He ignored the lingering hangover and focused on the fear of Kise slipping away again. Neglecting rules, Aomine ran across the car filled streets receiving honks and complaints from the shocked drivers. He ran as fast as his strong legs could carry him and entered the courts while breathing heavily. Left, right, behind and in front – he whipped his head in every direction, frantically searching for the familiar golden hair... to no avail.

 

"Fuck!" he roared, punching the ground with his bare fist. The frustrated basketball player crouched down and hung his head low between his arms to contain his disappointment. He cursed with every bad word he could think of and gritted his teeth.

 

Then the recognizable reverberation of a basketball filled his ears. The sound of shuffling sneakers on asphalt came closer, as the well-known material graced his ankle.

 

He didn't move... he waited for whoever it was to come and talk to him. Aomine needed someone to beat up. The person took longer than he expected to arrive before him, and he could hear heavy pants. Holding in his bubbling anger, he waited for whoever it was to speak up, just so he could snap at him. A long silence followed though, and Aomine felt greatly impatient. Just as he was about to raise his head, the person spoke.

 

"Sorry, mister, if I hit you with my ball. Are you hurt?"

 

A deep masculine voice or maybe even a cracking voice that belonged to an awkward teenager – those were the types of voices the pro expected. No way in hell did he expect the sweet, high pitched voice of a child. Taking a sneak peek from beneath his arms, he found a pair of ridiculously small shoes. Further up, he saw two teeny hands clamped together nervously.

 

He sighed. No matter how angry he was, he couldn't beat up a child. Picking up the basketball that laid at his feet, he handed it back, "No, I'm fine. Here – take it..."

 

The child in front of him made his heart throb painfully.

 

"Kise..."

 

"What's up, mister?"

 

 _Impossible,_ Aomine thought, _this is a child and well, last time I checked Kise was a grown man. Plus, she's a little girl..._

There was no denying the resemblance though. Her hair was the exact same shade, and her face looked _just like his._

 

He grabbed hold of her. "Kise..."

 

She squirmed, "Let go, mister!"

 

_"Let go of me, Aominecchi"_

 

Aomine dragged the slowly panicking girl with him towards the parking lot where Kuroko would surely be. Kuroko owed him answers.

 

"Mister! Please stop," she cried, "I'm sorry but I can't go with you!"

 

_"I'm sorry Aominecchi, but I can't go with you."_

"...."

 

The young girl was hysterical now, twisting and biting Aomine's wrist.

 

"Papa!"

 

"Takicchi!"

 

Aomine froze. His blood turning cold.

 

"Let go of my daughter, you bastard!"

 

A strong force pulled him, turning him over. Before he knew what was going on, his grip on the wailing child fell slack, and an angry fist smashed into his left cheek. The impact caused the pro to fall to the ground. But neither his bleeding gums or throbbing cheek were on his mind.

 

There, hovering above him was the man he's been searching for – the man he had so desperately wanted to see all these years ago. His hair had grown longer, but Aomine could tell without a doubt that this was him in all of his golden beauty.

 

"Kise..."

 

The man froze at Aomine's raspy voice.

 

"... Long time no see... Aominechhi."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: My second fanfic T^T. Thank you to everyone who read my debut one, "More Than Once." Especially to those who added a review. I'm happy to hear back from you guys! So here's my second story, which this time, will have multiple chapters. It was also based on a KuroBasu prompt, and I've roughly planned the whole story. I felt like I was watching a korean drama when I was writing this LOL.
> 
> By the way, anyone figure out the meaning if Taki yet? Well... besides the fact that it's a name... xD
> 
> No idea what else to say except for that I hope you guys enjoy reading this and hope that you'll look forward to future chapters - (I know my writing isn't that great, but please bare with me!) I'll try to make the following chapters really entertaining/interesting! :D


	2. Work?

_"Aominecchi."_

 

Hearing that nickname after five years startled and scared Aomine. He could feel the hairs on his arms stand up and he swallowed.

 

"Long time... no see," he replied.

 

Kise's expression was unreadable as he stood there silently, before he reached down to pick up the shaken child.

 

"Everything's all right now, Takicchi," he cooed, eyes softening, crinkling at the edges. In the man's embrace, the girl wrapped her own tiny arms around him and buried her face in his chest.

 

Clueless, Aomine wondered why the two of them were so intimate. Kise didn't have a younger sister... so cousin, perhaps? It took a moment for him to digest all that had happened, and then he recalled that four letter word she had uttered.

 

_"Papa."_

The basketball pro bit his bottom lip and squinted his eyes. No, that couldn't have been possible. Kise couldn't have a child because that would mean that...

 

But it was possible, and he knew it.

 

Summoning a lifetime's worth of courage, he struggled to stand up. Looking his ex-lover in the eyes, he said, barely audible, "She... she's your daughter?"

 

The other man didn't bother to look at him, sight glued to the infant that he held, "Yes."

 

"Don't lie!" he shouted, hand shooting out to grab the blonde by the collar, "There's no way that can be true."

 

The sudden action caused the child to whimper, and Kise murmured comforting words to her before removing the enraged man's hand. "You can see for yourself, she's mine."

 

In his mind he had knew, but hearing it come out of Kise's lips hurt him more than he thought it would. For five years, he remained in love with this man. For five years, he endured the heart break and pain. For five _fucking_ years, he still believed that maybe his boyfriend broke up with him for a good reason.

 

No, he had left him because he had a child... and when there was a child, there was a mother.

 

Kise had left him for a woman.

 

Gritting his teeth, Aomine drew back his right fist and was about to punch this asshole when a voice screamed.

 

"Don't hurt papa!"

 

He didn't know why it stopped him. He didn't know why her voice shook him to the core and made him want to curl up in a ball and cry. Trembling in uncertaincy, he lowered his hand and looked to the floor, unsure of what to do.

 

"Are you done?" a cold, unfamiliar voice said. Kise's voice wasn't like that, it was happy and sweet, at least in his memories.

 

Aomine didn't answer – no, he couldn't answer. A heavy silence ensued, before the man heard the sound of footsteps heading past him. "Goodbye, Aominecchi. It was nice to meet you again."

 

When the sounds faded in the distance, Aomine's legs finally gave out. He fell to the asphalt for a second time, knees under him and palms on the ground as if he was looking for stability. Tears didn't fall, but he could feel the tear of his heart.

 

"Damn it!" He shouted as he grabbed a rock and threw it against the metal fence, creating a loud, metallic ring in the quiet court.

  

 

* * *

 

 

 

"Papa, papa," the blonde little girl sang sadly.

 

"What is it, sweetie?" Kise smiled at his little angel.

 

"Isn't that Tetsu-kun?"

 

"Kurokocchi? Where?"

 

Taki raised her stubby finger and pointed out towards the traffic light. There, as she had said, was a small man with light blue hair.

 

Coincidentally, the other man had turned and noticed the pair as soon as Kise had and began sprinting towards them. Panting, he desperately asked, "Kise-kun, Taki-san, have you seen Aomine-kun?"

 

Kise winced, "He's at the basketball court."

 

"Thank you, Kise-kun," Kuroko heaved before turning.

 

"Kurokocchi?"

 

The man stopped mid-step, "Yes, Kise-kun?"

 

"I told him about Takicchi."

 

"So he knows that she's –"

 

Kise smiled ruefully. "My daughter," he finished Kuroko's sentence.

 

The two men exchanged looks and the smaller man turned around to leave. Before running towards the courts, he said over his shoulder, "It's about time you tell him the truth, Kise-kun. He deserves to know."

 

Kise watched as his former team mate shrunk and disappeared into the crowd. When he was no longer in sight, the model too, returned to walking in the direction of his home. Small arms clutched him harder, and he was grateful for Taki's warmth.

 

"Papa," she said, "Did that bad man hurt you?"

 

"No," he said, kissing her forehead.

 

"But papa is crying," she reached up and wiped away a single tear that rolled down. "If papa is crying, then papa is hurting."

 

Kise stayed silent.

 

"That bad man almost hit papa and raised his voice... is papa crying because he shouted at you?" she continued, "but papa doesn't have to cry because Taki will teach that bad man a lesson. Taki will protect papa."

 

Kise let out a sad chuckle and lifted her to eye level. "Thank you, Takicchi... but it's not Aominecchi's fault. Papa is the bad man. Papa is the one who is hurting Aominecchi."

 

Taki frowned, "What did Papa do?"

 

"I denied him an angel, thinking that it was the right thing to do."

 

 

* * *

 

 

Kuroko felt suffocated by the tense atmosphere in Aomine's hotel room. Through his peripheral vision, he could see the basketball player laying on the king-sized bed. They had decided last minute to book a suite for the tanned man instead of going to Kuroko's house to crash. Even if it wasn't said in so many words, Kuroko knew that it was because of Kise.

 

Unable to take the awkward silence any longer, he decided to dive right into the shark's mouth.

 

"I saw Kise today," he started, "And it seems that you did too."

 

"Shut up," the man responded, "I don't want to talk about this."

 

Kuroko knew that Aomine needed to talk, more than the other man let on, so he continued, "You must have met Taki-san too."

 

Aomine threw a pillow and the smaller man and growled, " _I said,_ that I don't want to talk about this. Are you deaf, Tetsu?"

 

Kuroko returned the glare with his own calm and levelled expression, telling his friend that he knew better – that while he didn't want to talk about it, _he needed to._

 

The taller man leaned his head onto the wall and gently felt his swollen cheek. After Kuroko treated it, the pain had slightly subsided. As each man fell into his own thoughts, the room fell still once more.

 

"Why didn't you tell me?" This time, it was Aomine who broke the quietness. He asked this question in an uncharacteristic fashion: quietly, and with a hint of the pain he usually hid deep down inside of him.

 

"Kise-kun wanted to keep her a secret," he replied, "He made us all promise him."

 

Aomine slid off his bed and walked towards the fridge. Hand on the handle, he spoke, "So you thought that honouring his promise was more important than telling me the truth?"

 

"Aomine-kun, that's not – "

 

"Get out."

 

He didn't say it loudly, or menacingly, but something about his tone made Kuroko oblige. Almost as if on automatic, he opened the door and stepped out into the red carpet corridor. Finally recognizing that what he heard was the tone of extreme angst, he watched solemnly as the door closed, taking away his last image of Aomine-kun who stood with his back facing him with a can of beer in his hand.

 

 

* * *

 

 

"And you haven't heard of him since then?" Kuroko could hear the dismay in Akashi's voice.

 

"No. He doesn't pick up his phone, or answer his door. When I talked to the front desk, they were no help. He's even asked them to keep all of his activities private."

 

It has been almost a week since Kuroko saw the basketball player. Ever since finding out that Kise had a child in his absence, the pro had withdrawn. Now, without another option, he turned to their former captain, Akashi, for help.

 

On the other line, he could almost hear the wheels in the red headed man's mind turn. Since they met, Kuroko had seen first hand as to how much of a genius the other man was, and prayed desperately that he'd come up with a plan.

 

"All right, Tetsuya," Kuroko perked up at the sound of Akashi's voice, "I'll help. Bring Daiki to the address I tell you, and make sure he stays there until it closes."

 

Kuroko listened attentively to the former captain's words, while also making notes with a scrap of paper and a pen that he found on his wooden desk.

 

"Wait, Akashi-kun... This address, are you sure it's the right one?"

 

"I don't make mistakes, Tetsuya."

 

"Yes, I apologize, Akashi-kun." He thanked the man and said his goodbye. Staring at the scribbles on the flimsy material, he sighed. He didn't understand Akashi's plan just yet, but he did get that this was his last hope.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Tomorrow brought a day of warm sunshine, and Kuroko felt the sweat drip down his brows. Raising a hand to wipe his face, he quickly glanced towards Aomine who stood unhappily to his right. Although the basketball player had agreed to come (thanks to Akashi's orders), he could tell that the man was infuriated. Kuroko was also anxious: on one hand, he wanted to trust Akashi and help his best friend get it together; but on the other hand, he really didn't want to allow the pro to enter this building in his current mood.

 

Looming in front of them stood a large, white building, with walls covered in an array of colourful drawings. Large windows allowed the pair to look into some of the front rooms. In the center, through double doors, there was the front desk. A familiar, beautiful lady sat there, taking a phone call with a bright smile plastered on her face. To the left, was a large, spacious room filled with soft mats and a great variety of toys. Currently, it was empty, but Kuroko knew that it was only because it was mid-afternoon, which meant nap time. Yes, the smaller man was very familiar with this building, because he came here on a daily basis.

 

 _Akashi Child Care Center,_ a facility Akashi had built for Kise-kun, and also Kuroko's workplace.

 

"It's hot," Aomine complained.

 

"Yes," Kuroko agreed.

 

"Are we going in or what? Let's just get whatever Akashi wants over with."

 

"Yes..."

 

Leading the way, Kuroko walked nervously up to the secretary.

 

"Good morning, Tetsu-kun, Dai-chan!" she chirped.

 

"Good morning, Momoi-san," Kuroko smiled.

 

Aomine grunted, "Satsuki."

 

Momoi winced, worry creased on her large pink eyes but quickly returned to her cheerful disposition, "Akashi-kun is waiting for you two in the gym."

 

"Thank you, Momoi-san."

 

From memory, Kuroko knew that the gym was further in the back, behind the cafeteria and classrooms and just before the garden. Once again taking the lead, he ushered the apathetic man to follow him through the corridors which were lined with cubbies that had little backpacks hanging from each one and tiny shoes the size of Aomine's fist. Aomine scoffed at the works of messy artwork that hung above each one.

 

After a taking a left turn, the smaller man opened a heavy door and the two walked in to find Akashi standing in the center of the high ceiling gymnasium. Next to the red head, was a basketball rack filled with impossibly tiny balls, as well as kid-sized hoops that were about as tall as Aomine himself. Raising an eyebrow, the tanned man asked, "What the hell's all this?"

 

"Long time no see, Daiki," Akashi tilted his head, "And this is what it looks like – the equipment needed for a game of basketball."

 

The pro scoffed, "You want me to play with these toys? Why don't I just go connect the dots and colour between the lines while we're at it."

 

Letting out a wry smile, the former captain ignored Aomine's sarcasm. "No, you won't be playing. As for the other two activities, you're free to do those – but only on your own time. I'm sure it'll be good exercise for your brain."

 

Aomine's eye twitched in annoyance.

 

"However, the reason why you're here is, indeed, related to basketball though," he continued, "From today on, until the moment you leave for America again, you will work here."

 

"Work?"

 

"Yes, coincidentally, the sport for this month for our precious children is basketball."

 

Akashi threw one of the mini-sized balls at Aomine who caught it, fingers easily wrapping around it.

 

"Unfortunately, our instructor got into an... unfortunate _accident_."

 

The red head's grin gave Aomine goose bumps.

 

"So, I will be relying on you, Aomine-sensei. Oh but don't worry... I'll have Tetsuya teach along side you."

 

He must have heard it wrong, was what the pro thought, but those heterochromatic eyes said else wise. Squinting his eyes, he growled, "Quit joking, this is bullshit – and I won't do it, just so you know."

 

"Oh," his former captain strode towards him and from out of nowhere, whipped a pair of scissors, lightly grazing his tanned skin. The shorter man then pulled Aomine down to his knees and brought their faces close together. "But you will, Daiki. You can not defy me, my orders are absolute."

 

Wanting to say otherwise, but too afraid to open his mouth, Aomine glared at him... just as he heard the shuffles of light steps from across the hall. The door slid open, and with a wave of horror, Aomine groaned in defeat as he saw ten pairs of curious, wide eyes stare at him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: So here's chapter 2! It's another dramatic chapter! Sorry it's a bit shorter than chapter one, but you can look forward to a long-ish chapter 3. I hope you enjoyed it. Writing this, I wondered how long this series would be but honestly, I don't have a clue. Not too long, I know, but the story is still far from over too. Anyways, please look forward to Aomine-sensei in the next chapter as well as the interaction between him and a familiar little girl!


	3. Ahomine-sensei

"Kuroko-sensei!"

"Ah, it's Akashi-sama!"

"Wow! Look at all the basketballs!"

"Eh? Who's the scary looking ganguro?"

"Must be a sensei."

"Are you going to teach us basketball, ganguro-sensei?"

Aomine never, was as flustered as he was at this moment while the interested children swarmed around him. Speechless, he gawked at the red head who bid them farewell.

"Tetsuya, I'll see you tonight, " he said in a seductive manner towards Kuroko.

Then, almost as if the dumbfounded pro was an after thought, he smirked at the doorway, "Have fun, Ganguro-sensei."

Flashing a gentle, fake smile towards the adoring children, Akashi left the gym.

"Shit," the basketball player muttered under his breath, before immediately regretting saying it and covering his mouth, hoping that no one heard. Unfortunately, these kids had exceptional hearing.

"Sheet?"

"I think he said 'shit'."

"What's shit?"

"I think it's another word for 'thanks.'

"Oh, then shit you for sharing your cookie with me."

"You're welcome! Shit to you too for letting me borrow your toys!"

Kuroko shot a scowl at the tanned man who acted sheepishly, as he informed the innocent children, "That S-word is a bad word. Only bad adults say that, so don't go copying Aomine-sensei."

"So Aomine-sensei is a bad adult?"

"Yes, he is! I can testify!"

Aomine recognized that chime like voice and turned around. Standing with her arms crossed, a blonde girl glared at him with puffed cheeks.

"Well look who it is," the man said dully, "It's Kise's brat."

"It's not Kise's brat," she spat, "The name's Taki, but you can call me Taki-sama!"

He rolled his eyes, "Yeah, yeah, whatever you want your highness."

The basketball player watched in slight amusement as he watched the girl smile triumphantly, only to realize that she was actually being made fun of. In all honesty, he found it funny how everything she thought was so blatantly displayed on her face. He had to stifle a laugh as her face turned fifty shades of red.

"Aomine-sensei, stop teasing Taki-san," Kuroko scolded him, "Also, children, please sit in your squads and give us your full attention!"

Obediently, they followed his orders – much to Aomine's surprise – and split into two lines of five. Clearing his voice, the smaller man gestured towards the pro.

"As you've guessed, Aomine-sensei here will be teaching along with myself for the next month. We'll be playing basketball."

All of the children let out a cheer of happiness, and Aomine was slightly excited to teach these eager youths (although he'd never admit it).

"Since there are ten of you, we could easily begin a normal basketball game, but as many of you are beginners, each sensei will train one squad. Then, on the last day, we'll have the two squads play a game against one another."

He passed the tanned man a clipboard. "Squad A will be with Aomine-sensei and Squad B will be with myself."

This brought mixed reactions from the students, some excited and other nervous. Two kids however, were getting fired up.

"I hope you're ready to lose, Souta!"

Aomine saw the young blonde point at a boy with blue hair and red eyes.

"Nuh-uh," he snorted, "Both my dads were a part of the generation of miracles! I can wipe the floor with your whole squad by myself!"

"So what? You're not even blood-related. I have 100% of papa's blood in me. Papa calls me a genius!"

"Your papa's a liar! Your squad is going down, Taki!" The small boy flung his hands our towards the girl, wanting to shove her down.

Kise's little girl had guts though and dodged, "In your dreams, Souta!"

Souta snorted, embarrassed to have missed, "W-whatever! A-and, Dad is the one coaching my squad and you've got a ganguro to coach yours. Can he even play basketball?"

The blonde winced, unable to answer his question.

Kuroko bopped the boy on his head, "Souta-kun, don't be rude."

"What'd you hit me for, dad?"

Aomine raised his eyebrow, "Your kid?"

Kuroko nodded, "Yes. He is Akashi-kun and my adopted son, Akashi Souta-kun."

"For a kid who wasn't conceived by you guys, he looks freakishly like the two of you." From somewhere in his hazy memory, he recalled getting an email about this.

"Anyways," the other man changed the subject, "Aomine-sensei is an amazing basketball player. He's come back from America, where he plays in the big leagues."

Some kids oohed, Taki and Souta however, remained unimpressed.

"Hmph," the blonde girl squinted her eyes, "That's nothing. Bakagami played there too."

"That's right! Even Bakagami who needed dad's help just to beat Taki's loser papa was able to make it in America."

"What'd you call papa, stupid Souta?"

Both children glared at each other and Aomine could feel the tense crackle that he recognized as the atmosphere of true rivals. Unable to contain the mirth that the squabbling kids provided him, he let out a laugh. Thinking of the large, red-headed lug being looked down upon by these three-foot tall, sassy little children was too funny.

"What're you laughing about, Ahomine?"

"Who you calling Ahomine, you midget?" he fit in between chuckles. Then, he gave her his signature smirk which frightened many opponents. However, Taki wasn't afraid. Instead, she folded her arms and stood her ground defiantly. She had totally changed from the sobbing infant he met a week ago. No, rather, this was who she truly was. She probably had confidence that she had the back up of her posse and Kuroko, and felt a need to be strong. She reminded him of his childhood self.

"Well," he said, "let's see if you've got the skills to back up your talk. 100 laps around the gym, oh – not all of you guys. Just her brat highness, Taki-sama."

Taki gave him a look of disgust and stuck out her tongue. Aomine stuck out his in response.

Kuroko rolled his eyes at the pro's childish behaviour.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Half an hour and a lifetime's worth of immature bickering later, the ten kids were sweaty and all warmed up. The two men had split up the gym with a divider that had slowly come down from the ceiling. On Aomine's side, he sized up his squad. Surprisingly, he only realized now that Taki was the only girl out of the five players. Rubbing his temples, he also recalled that Kuroko's team had two. Huh, he thought, three to seven. I thought that these days they tried to equalize the classrooms gender wise.

Watching his trainees though, he found out quickly that gender really didn't matter much at age five, as he observed how Taki acted as queen. She wasn't exactly bossy, but commanded authority. A natural leader.

It also helped that she was good at basketball for age, and they all knew it.

He watched silently as the children began practicing dribbling. Even with the smaller balls, the four inexperienced students found it difficult to bounce the ball with a single hand. With practice, they learned quickly – absorbing Aomine's tips and teachings like fresh sponges. Some time later, they could bounce the mini balls steadily and even walk around a little before losing control. Oddly, the pro found this extremely impressive. Perhaps he was getting ahead of himself, but he asked them to switch hands. All four balls slipped out and short legs chased after them. Back to square one.

Then, there was Taki.

With powerful and dexterous movements for a child of her size, the young blonde dribbled her ball confidently. First with her right, then switching to her left. Around her leg it'd go, before traveling around her other. Behind her, to the side – she was able to skilfully manoeuvre the bouncing object. She's a genius, just like her father, Aomine thought, ignoring the stab in the heart he felt at the thought of him.

Taki noticed that the pro had been watching her and appraising her positively. She looked up and gave him a smug grin before turning around and dribbling towards the tiny hoop. With a grand leap, she dunked the ball and hung onto the rim before landing gracefully on both feet. Her team mates cheered in awe, and the girl faced Aomine again. With a mock bow, she boasted, "This is elementary stuff!"

In response, the tanned man tossed the ball he held with one hand and sank it in the hoop, startling Taki and winning the respect of his temporary students (except the lone girl).

"Hmph," he shrugged his broad shoulders, "You're right, that is easy. You could even train a monkey to do that. Can you do that, though?"

Face blushing from embarrassment, she pouted and looked away from him. "Get back to practicing, you brats." His words were sharp, but his smile was genuinely happy.

The rest of the time flew by quickly. The session was split in two, one hour segments with frequent breaks, but with the reluctant help of Taki, the remaining four learned the basics quickly. They still had sloppy movements and made many mistakes, but they were worlds better than when they started. Before they knew it, it was time for the children to get picked up by their parents.

"See you, Aomine-sensei!"

"Thanks for teaching us basketball!"

Smirking, he shouted back, "Whatever. Just don't complain later on, it's only going to get tougher."

Innocently, the kids giggled off his warning and ran out of the seemingly larger gymnasium. Now, almost completely empty, the tanned pro felt that he had shrunk in the time he spent here. Exhaling, he cracked his neck and stretched his arms. To his pleasant surprise, this didn't suck so much. With the exception of the occasional pain he felt when he looked at Taki, it was a good distraction from his heart-break. Speaking of that brat...

Unlike all of the others, she stayed in the gym, practicing by herself. Aomine spoke out, "Don't you have to go back to your dad too?" His voice cracked as he said dad. He still wasn't used to seeing Kise as a father in his head.

The young girl didn't look at him, and continued practicing, "Papa works until the sun sets."

Aomine checked the clock, safely protected behind a metal cage on the wall. It read: 5:00. The weather channel had predicted that it would set near seven.

Aomine scratched his head. Kuroko had already gone with the other kids to see them off. As much of a trouble it would be, he couldn't just leave.

He snuck up behind the blonde and stole the ball from her.

"Hey! Give that back, Ahomine."

"Hey, it's Aomine-sensei. Show some respect. Who'd you get that rude mouth from?" Actually, he didn't want an answer to that. To his relief, she only scowled.

"Respect is earned, not given."

"Think you're such a hot-shot, don't you?"

"They call me a genius," she leered.

He rolled his eyes. "Let me teach you a lesson about the real world, brat."

"Like I told you, it's Taki-sama to you."

"Like I told you, it's Aomine-sensei."

Aomine didn't care how immature he looked. He wasn't losing to a kid.

"Fine," she huffed, "Let's settle this with basketball!"

It must have been a ridiculous sight to anyone who passed by. A fully grown man, over six feet tall, playing so seriously against a five-year old girl who was practically half his height. The pro was crushing her, all while teasing the poor sap. Nevertheless, Taki didn't cry. She didn't even get angry and quit – not even as Aomine sank shot after shot while blocking all of hers.

Ten minutes later, the pro obviously had won. He lazily dribbled the ball while gloating, "Where'd all that big talk about your skills go?"

Panting, the girl shot him a displeased look... before pouncing at the ball: an action so unexpected that Aomine couldn't even stop her. Unbalanced but determined, she ran as quickly as her short legs could carry her.

"The game's not over until I say so!"

Chasing after her, he replied to her declaration, "Like I'd let you, idiot!"

He caught up to her in a second but she kept running and then jumped – right pass the hoop.

"You planning on jumping to Canada, stu – "

Elegantly, her next moves shut him up. With a proud smile, she gently tossed the ball above her head, and it soared behind her... and into the basketball hoop.

"Nope! I'm planning on jumping to Winners-ville!" she smiled, shooting him a V-sign.

"Where'd you learn that from?" he asked.

"Papa taught me it," she said, proudly.

"Geez, you're a ridiculous child," secretly thinking that Kise had learned that from him.

Taki giggled in response, but Aomine picked up the ball and tossed it behind him – scoring in the opposite hoop. "Still not good enough though. 2 to 1, I'm winning still."

Her smile disappeared and she frowned, "Again! Play me again, one more time!"

"Don't expect me to fall for anymore of your tricks," he teased.

She gave him a thumbs down.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

"One more time!"

Her golden hair was sticking to her face but she didn't care. Her legs had given up, but she didn't care. Aomine's heart ached as he remembered how Kise used to chase after him like this... and found it strange that still, he couldn't hate his ex's daughter. He knew it from the moment he found out and had pondered it for the week he had lived as a recluse. Her charm was irresistible to him, he found her endearing.

"You're done, you know that."

"J-just give me a second. Don't look down on me! I-I'm tougher than this, you'll see!"

"You should know your body's limits."

"Be quiet, Ahomine! Stop thinking you're so hot just 'cause you're bigger than me!"

He laughed and crouched down.

"Get on."

"I don't need your help."

"I'll leave you here alone then." He stood up and began walking away. Behind, he heard the sounds of crawling.

"Don't... don't go...!"

The blonde child was staring at him with her a scared look in dark eyes and he went back to piggyback her.

"You should have just accepted my help to begin with."

Her childish innocence was refreshing.

The warmth of her body felt strangely comforting and he couldn't help but think that if she were his daughter, he'd spoil her silly.

But that's impossible.

Shut up.

The two of them walked out of the gym, and Aomine went to find his friend. Wandering around, he soon got lost with all of the corridors. Groaning, he found himself in a room full of tables and vending machines.

"Are you hungry?" Taki's voice asked, tiredly. He could feel it vibrate against his back.

"Not really," he said, "Are you?"

The girl paused for a second, and then the tanned man felt her stomach growl.

"I'll take that as a yes."

"No..." she whispered, "Taki promised papa she'd eat with him."

Aomine stiffened but didn't say anything more about it. Alternatively, he offered to buy her a drink since she must have been thirsty. The girl had drunk her hello kitty water bottle dry.

Too parched to refuse, she answered with "strawberry milk" when asked what she wanted. Rummaging through his shorts, he found enough change to buy her choice of drink and another bottle of water for himself. Taking the two beverages with one of his large hands, he brought them over to an empty table before gently letting the girl off. She sat down next to him, and fidgeted.

"You can take it, you know," he passed the milk box to her.

Nervously, she accepted it with both hands and thanked him shyly.

"So you have manners after all," he joked, and smiled when her chubby cheeks reddened.

Both of them sat in silence, and Aomine studied the young child thoroughly for the first time.

There was no doubt that she was Kise's child. Everything about her outer appearance was nearly an identical, female reproduction of the model's own features. The only noticeable difference between the father and daughter pair were the eyes; Kise had amber eyes whilst Taki had dark blue ones. He hated himself, but he thought that they looked so similar to his own azure irises. Then he thought, that if only Kise or himself had been a girl. Maybe... Taki could have been his baby too.

"I wonder who's your mother."

"Mama is papa."

"Hm?"

"Taki's mama is papa." Aomine realized too lately that he had actually said his thought out loud, and that she was plainly answering his inquiry.

"You don't know who your mother is?"

She looked at him impatiently, "Taki said, mama is papa!"

"Then who's your papa?"

The girl shot him a look that said she pitied him for being so unbelievably stupid, "Papa is papa! You seemed to know papa before Papa even let you be one of the -cchis."

So her mom really did abandon her, he thought. Although Kise leaving him still bothered him, he felt a bit of sympathy for her.

"Ah, Aomine-kun, Taki-san."

"Woah!"

Aomine still wasn't used to his friend popping out of nowhere all the time, "Where'd you come from, Tetsu?"

"I've been standing here for a while now," he said, before looking at the child, "Taki-san, Kise-kun is here to pick you up."

"Papa?" Her eyes glowed with affection upon hearing her father's name. Jumping down from her set, she ran with her milk box out the door. The two men then heard the squeak of sneakers stopping abruptly and watched as the little blonde ran back towards the tanned pro.

She looked up at him with warm eyes and cleared her voice, "By the way, I let you win today. I felt bad to beat you on your first day around here so I went easy. Don't expect to win the next time we face off!"

He snorted.

Satisfied, she turned around to leave again, this time stopping at the door to say, "But you still did pretty well. Sp, I've upgraded you to Ahomine-sensei, andI guess I'll let you call me Taki without the –sama. Be grateful!" and then she ran down the corridor to the front desk where Kise was probably waiting.

"Tsk," Aomine frowned, "She's so rude and conceited. I wonder who she got that from?"

Kuroko observed his best friend with tender eyes and muttered, "That'd be you."

"Did you say something, Tetsu?"

"Ah... no, forget it."

"Whatever."

The smaller boy saw the change in the tanned man, and realized that this must have been Akashi's plan. To let Aomine start to love Taki...

Exhausted from his long days of worrying, he sat down.

"The love between a parent and child is so amazing."

"Huh?" Aomine gave him a confused look.

"Nothing."

Just that... Aomine-kun... already, you have the expression of a father. Taki's father.

Behind his light blue eyes, Kuroko wondered what kind of face his friend would make when he found out that Taki was indeed, the daughter of not only Kise, but the basketball pro's as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Yay! Chapter 3 is here! Oh my god it's so long . (for me that is lol) Honestly, I had the most fun writing this chapter. I adore Taki and Aomine together. I always think of how it'd be if she was already a teenager. Definitely, she'd be much sassier. Haha. Well, that was my attempt at some fluff /. Hope you guys found it cute too.
> 
> Er, Souta was kind of on the spot in creation. Let's just say he's going to be a useful side character in the future. And yes... AkaKuro will be a side fluff coule who helps move the story along haha. I have no confidence in writing AkaKuro well though... so please don't throw tomatoes at me when I try!
> 
> Just a side note, having all male parents make it a bit confusing when kids refer to them. So, I gave each one of them a variant. Basically, Akashi = Father, Kuroko = Dad, and Kise = Papa ;D


	4. Monster and Miracle

_It's a nightmare._

_It's a miracle._

_He's a monster._

_That was what the doctors, the nurses and his parents had said at Kise's birth. Obviously, Kise didn't recall any of this... he was only just born. Still, he knew of what happened as if it were etched into his memory._

_"How could this be?" his mother had been crying, her shoulders shaking and handkerchief soaked in her tears._

_"Are you sure it isn't some mistake?"_

_Kise's father wrapped a strong arm around his wife and faced the doctor with shocked but steady eyes._

_The doctor shook his head, confirming their fears. "The x-rays we've taken proven that your daughter...or son, whichever you prefer has developed an extremely rare condition."_

_Both parents grew solemn at the news. How was this possible? For nine months, they had been expecting another new beautiful girl to their family... and now..._

_"Mr. and Mrs. Kise," the doctor cleared his throat, "I know that I am in no position to say anything but... will the two of you listen to my professional judgement?"_

_"Please, doctor," Kise's father had urged. This was too much for him and his beloved to handle on their own._

_Lowering his mask, the doctor flipped through pages on his clipboard, "I believe that the two of you should raise this child as a boy. I understand that you've been expecting a daughter, but it's a fact that she's developed physically as a man."_

_"Also," he flipped to another page, including an x-ray and detailed notes, "the only female attributes the child has is the uterus. Tests have not yet determined if it'll work, or if he'll have the necessary hormones to carry. Basically, what I'm saying is that the chances are that he – I mean the child, will be able to live life as a normal boy."_

_"My baby," the blonde woman croaked, "Let me see my baby, first, please."_

_He hesitated, but then silently the blue-cloaked doctor walked over to the incubator room and tenderly scooped up the sleeping infant. He marveled at the small creature, so small, innocent... defenceless. Without his parents' love, how could he ever hope to survive in this cruel world?_

_Back in the room, into the woman's thin arms he lowered the baby with a sad gentleness._

_He watched as the new mother raised a long, thin finger to stroke the infant's cheeks. As a practitioner in this business for several years, he was able to see the uncertainty in her heart battle against her unconditional maternal love for the newborn._

_"What long eyelashes," she cooed, "If he was born a girl, she'd be so beautiful."_

_The blonde father fidgeted uncomfortably._

_"Here," his wife said, handing the large man the warm baby she held._

_Nervously, he accepted. To his surprise, the eyelashes of the child fluttered, and soon he found large amber eyes, like his own, stare at him._

_"He looks like he'd grow up beautiful, even as a man," he said._

_The child let out a laugh._

_"He seems to agree," the blonde woman sighed when her husband passed their baby back into her arms._

_"How do you feel," she whispered to the smiling infant pensively, "How would you feel if we raised you as a boy, Ryouta?"_

_A small fist lightly touched the mother's cheek, before opening into a palm and tapping it._

_"I guess that's decided then..." she murmured, tears welling in her own tired eyes once again._

_The doctor watched as the family embraced closely and felt his own tears form, "I'm sure he'll grow up as a normal boy. I'll pray for your happiness."_

* * *

 

_Kise Ryouta did indeed, grow up as a normal boy. Girly, but a boy nonetheless. He liked females, he played sports well, he was handsome and well built. No one would have expected his birth to be as dramatic as it was. No one would have needed to know... not even the boy himself. That is, not until Kise met Aomine. For an unknown reason, the blonde boy grew unexplainably attracted to the blue haired youth. Somehow, his feelings were also returned and they fell so deeply in love that no one could separate them, no matter what tactics they used. This fact – his parents would be lying if they had said they didn't worry about it. The doctor had dismissed their fear though, informing them that Kise's annual body check had shown no changes in his hormones and that they could pass their son off as a gay, bisexual or pansexual – whatever they chose. So worry they did not, nor did they tell their son of his rare condition. They were happy as long as he was, and didn't want to ruin that._

_Except, it seemed that the body check was just a little too outdated._

_On that early summer's day of his sixteenth year, Kise was rushed to the hospital, unbeknownst by most people. He had been vomiting and had been feeling terribly nauseous; his body temperature had risen suddenly; he suffered through headaches, unusual fatigue, light headedness and stomach pain. After several tests and questions, the doctor had his diagnose._

_The impossible had happened._

_Kise Ryouta was pregnant._

_It was a nightmare._

_It was a miracle._

_He was a monster._

_But she was a miracle and for some reason, he couldn't abort her._

_So he kept her, pondering what he should do in the mean time. Being so muscular, the bump did not show on him as it may have on women. Aomine noticed some changes, but never pushed him. This made the model feel guilty for not immediately telling him. He scolded himself each night, promising to do so the next day only to use the excuse that it wasn't the right time. That's right, he feared rejection. He didn't know how his boyfriend would react and he didn't want to be hated by the sole person he loved the most. He was a freak of nature, not quite male and not quite female. Such a person, the other man would hate his guts and never want anything to do with him ever gain... Well... that's the reason he gave to his family and friends, as well as to himself on the days that his hormones made too unbearable anyways. Deep down inside, Kise knew that he had another reason, although he didn't consciously admit it until another summer's day._

_For a while already, they had known that Aomine had been scouted to go to America. Kise also promised to go with him, because he couldn't refuse without telling his lover about his pregnancy. Obviously, being pregnant meant that he wouldn't be able to go because he'd have to give birth overseas then, without the support of his close ones. So, on that bitter afternoon, he broke up with the future pro._

_Why?_

_He told his parents that it was because he was too much of a coward to tell the man._

_Really?_

_He told his friends to keep it a secret because he thought Aomine would want him to get an abortion._

_But his heart told him, that although all of these fears were justified, he who had loved the tanned man knew the truth. The blue haired man would have been angry yes, and yes he'd be shocked into silence, of course. He would not leave Kise alone, though. No, after being left alone to think things through, he would get off that plane and refuse the American team. Some would have called the blonde overconfident, but you get to know things when you gain a connection as deep as his was to Aomine's._

_And this, was the real reason Kise left him... because more than being hated, more than anything, Kise didn't want to be the reason that Aomine gave up on his dreams._

* * *

 

_Ten months later on that spring morning, a miracle was born._

_He named her Taki._

_Ta from Ryouta, because she had his blonde hair._

_Ki from Daiki, because she had his blue eyes._

_Kise (secretly Aomine) Taki, became the first child to have been conceived by two men. Kise Ryouta, her papa and birth mother all in one, and Aomine Daiki, the father who never knew._

 

 

* * *

 

 

The blonde man pushed the red button on the grey remote and heard the television close with a chime. With one hand, he brushed his bangs back and looked down. Peacefully, he found his little girl sleeping soundly, back against his muscular chest, on his lap between his long, crossed legs. Wrapping his arms around her, he lifted the tired child off him and carried her out of the living room. The two of them made their way up the stairs – Kise being careful not to wake her. When they reached the second door from the end of the hall, he shifted Taki's weight to his left arm and turned the knob on the door. Inside, was a room painted light blue. On the walls were painted objects – clouds, birds, rainbows, airplanes – the theme was the sky. Smiling, he let the girl down on her bed, resting her head on the soft pillow much too large for her head and tucked her in beneath her comforter. Kise then leaned down to kiss his angel on the forehead and then glanced at the window. The blinds were closed, but what caught his eyes was the yellow paint the surrounded the white framed glass. Reminiscing, he remembered that he was trying to make it the sun. Taki had adored the idea when she turned old enough to talk. She said that when it was morning, it really felt like her window was the sun, giving her light.

 

Yes, this room was their little project. Like father, like daughter, the two of them loved the sky and the promise of freedom it gave. For Kise, this room was the remnant of his dream of becoming a pilot. Still, he yearned to fly in the wide blue, but now it was impossible. He had a child to care for; it wasn't like he could bring her along on every flight. Stroking her long hair, he thought that she was worth it though. He didn't hate his modelling job, and it paid well. Moreover, no amount of flying could compare to each moment of watching Taki grow. He actually wished he didn't have to work so he could spend all of his time with her. Each second she grew a little older, a little wiser.

 

The blonde chuckled to himself as he thought about how lonely he'd be when she would begin acting independently. As excited as he was to see her one day develop into the fine young woman he knew she'd become, in his heart he knew he'd miss these days of cuddling and watching her sleep.

 

Kise glanced at the glowing green numbers that came from Taki's digital clock. Already, it was midnight. He'd need to sleep now if he was to be able to wake up and make breakfast for the two of them tomorrow. The day care centre offered breakfast, but the dad preferred for the two of them to enjoy their morning meal together.

 

_"Guess who I met today during gym time, papa!"_

_"The bad man – oh wait, I meant Ahomine-sensei!"_

_"Ahh, he's actually not that bad of a guy, you know, papa. Plus, he's all right at basketball," she laughed, "Not as good as me though!"_

While walking to his room, his mind drifted to dinner's conversation. Without his knowledge, Akashi and Kuroko had come up with some sort of plan. He wasn't exactly sure what sort of goal they had, and Akashi had blown him off when he called earlier saying "Tetsuya and I are... a little busy right now. Call again in the morning, Ryouta," and then he heard Kuroko ask who it was – who was then quickly shut up with what Kise perceived as a kiss – before the receiver's disconnect tone cut the line.

 

Checking the time, it was technically 'tomorrow' but Kise didn't feel like calling the couple up. He'd only end up annoying the pair, which actually sounded kind of tempting right now. Frustrated, he curled up on his bed and sighed. He was doing a lot of that recently too.

 

Frankly, the blonde wasn't completely oblivious to what they were planning. Clearly, they had known that Taki spends much of her time in the care of the centre, because he needed to work. So by hiring Aomine, it could only mean that they were trying to get him close to his daughter, as well as vice versa. Kise reluctantly praised them as it seemed to be working. Taki was stubborn like her tanned father, but Kise knew that she had grown attached to him. It wasn't wrong... Aomine deserved the time and love of his little girl, even if he didn't know her true identity, but Kise didn't like it.

 

Five years should have made him a new man, yet still he loved with the same intensity as he did all those years ago. It took all of his will power not to break down at their reunion. Now that he's seen the happiness Taki felt with her other father, he wished with all his heart that he could go right now and run into the larger man's arms to confess everything, burdening him and forcing the pro to take him back.

 

This would interfere with the pro's basketball career, he knew that, but he still wanted to do it.

 

And he hated himself for that.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

Aomine found it strange as to how invested he was in this summer job of his. Only for the remainder of the month did he have to work with these brats, yet he slaved even after his coaching hours in order to come up with different ways to help them improve themselves. For some reason, the more time he spent with them, the greater the urge to hone them into amazing players grew. Sure, they weren't exactly genius material like his middle school team was, but he understood that the generation of miracles were one in ten million. These kids that he was working with now – they were the future, and could go far with hard work.

 

The one-on-one matches afterwards with his star pupil also made things more exciting. Taki and he formed a sort of routine. After gym was over, they'd tidy up the room (Akashi scolded him for not cleaning up on his first day) before walking over to the cafeteria to buy their drinks in advance. Then, they'd return to the gym and play one-on-one games until the blonde's body gave up or Kise showed up.

 

For the first couple days, they played with the mini-sized equipment. One day though, before class started, Taki snuck in and saw him doing layups with the regular hoop and ball. Since then, she'd refuse to play with him unless they used the "big kid stuff."

 

The large, orange ball looked awkward in her tiny hands but she could still perform fairly well, impressing the experienced pro. He could tell that Kise had played with her a lot, inheriting the blonde's passion. Although still, shooting posed a problem. So, he'd negotiate with her (in Aomine's world, that meant ruthlessly commanding the child with no room for 'buts' or complaints, along with a good old threat of him never playing with her again). Some days, they'd practice everything but shooting using the regular sized ball. On the others, they'd have scoring practices with the fun-sized equipment. To their delight, this schedule worked out well for the aspiring player, who got better at a tremendous pace.

 

Stretching his arms, Aomine noticed that he had worked through the night. Thankfully, tomorrow (actually today) was Saturday. He flopped onto his soft hotel bed and fell to sleep, not planning to wake up until evening.

 

 

* * *

 

 

A loud ringing cut through his sleep, and Aomine struggled to open his groggy eyes. Swearing, he reached to his bed side table and checked to see the caller's ID. It read, Akashi.

 

"What do you want, Akashi?" he groaned.

 

"Daiki!" A cheerful voice startled the pro, "What've you been doing? You sound dead."

 

"Sleeping," he yawned, "The hell 'ave you been doing? You sound drunk."

 

"Good morning, sunshine!"

 

Yup. Definitely drunk.

 

"What do you want?" Aomine wanted nothing to do with a drunk Akashi. When his former captain was intoxicated, he was the most cheery bastard ever, which scared him even more than the sadistic, normal one.

 

"Akashi-kun," Kuroko's voice spoke in the background, "Let me talk to him."

 

"You're making me jealous, Tetsuya," the red head slurred, "Give me a kiss first or I'll kill you."

 

Aomine heard static as the phone on the other side was shuffled around, "Ah, sorry about this Aomine-kun, but we need to ask you for a favour."

 

"Spit it out already, Tetsu."

 

"Could you pick us up? We're too drunk to drive, and we promised Kise-kun we'd babysit Taki-chan tonight, who is at our home with a nanny right now."

 

"What? Why do I have to be your chauffer? And if a nanny is babysitting, how the hell does that count as you two helping out in any way?"

 

"Are you going to not do as Akashi-kun asks? I won't pressure you, but I'll have to tell him this when he's sober..."

 

"One day, I'm going to kill the two of you, I swear!"

 

"I love you too, Aomine-kun."

 

He could hear Akashi yell "Tetsuya, are you cheating on me? Tell me who he is, I'll kill him," and the sound of scissors in the background.

 

Hanging up abruptly, Aomine kicked off his sheets and put on his t-shirt. Before hanging up, Kuroko had told him that their car was parked at the center and Momoi would have the keys. Annoyed, he obediently left his room, on his way to the subway on route to his summer work place.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

"That worked rather well, Akashi-kun," the blue haired boy said, cheek on his hand.

 

Akashi smirked, "Of course it did. My acting was first rate."

 

Amused, the red head swished the contents of his glass and took a small sip. It was only his second drink that night.

 

"I wonder how he'll react when he arrives," Kuroko mused.

 

"Mm, shocked probably," he laughed, "What a predicament he will be in, wanting to run away but being unable to."

 

Next to the two men, there was a pile of shot glasses, and a sleeping man surrounded by them. Akashi plays with a strand of the man's blonde hair and murmurs, "I wish you the best of luck, Ryouta. We pray for your happiness."

 

Right after, the two men got up and left the bar.

 

Ten minutes later, a tanned man came in, looking for them with the help of a waiter who directed him to their table... only to find the sleeping blonde.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: So here's Kise's (kind of) back story! To begin with, I'd like to say I apologize for my strange and unbelievable write up about Kise's body. I'm fully aware that it's not possible.. but the prompt said for a pregnant Kise so... there we go xD. I tried my best to make it seem like a believable tale for a fic. I also have no medical knowledge besides for emergency first aid so... please don't question the strangeness of all this too much xD
> 
> Also, there's Kise's reason for breaking up with Aomine! Was that at least a realistic/relatable one? I tried ! T^T. Sure, he might not have made the best decision, but you can see that he regrets it too. Afterwards, it ends with AkaKuro forcing the two to spend a little time together too. Hmm, what will happen now? I'm as curious as you guys xD.
> 
> Lastly, I'M SO SORRY TO ALL AKASHI FANS LOL. I can't write Akashi-sama.. I'm not worthy of Akashi-sama... But.. but... a drunk Akashi acting all lovey is cute isn't he? I DON'T REGRET IMAGINING IT.
> 
> See you guys next chapter~


	5. Last Kiss

"Are you fucking with me?"

Aomine was furious.

"Please mind your language, sir," the waitress pushed up her metal rimmed glasses and stated matter-of-factly, "This is the table where Akashi-san and Kuroko-san sat."

"Akashi has red hair like his name, and Tetsu has blue hair. There were two of them. This –" the tanned man pointed at the table on which a pile of shot glasses sat, "is a single, blonde man."

He gritted his teeth trying hard not to explode from all of his pent-up emotions. Inside of him, his mind was taking him on a memory roller coaster. There, as defenceless as a puppy, Kise was sleeping on the small, round table.

"Perhaps you should call the two gentlemen and clear things up with them."

Seeing as to how shouting at the waitress was only going to get him kicked out, Aomine pulled out his phone and dialled Kuroko's number. It sent him straight to voice mail, to which he recited enough words from his adult's-only vocabulary to make a sailor embarrassed. After, as the woman walked away from him, giving the tanned man a dirty look, he called Akashi's cell.

Voice-mail picked up this time too.

_"You've reached Akashi Seijurou. I'm busy and can't pick up the phone at the moment. Hang up at the beep, and don't call again. If I decide that you're worthy enough to receive a response from me, I'll call back... eventually. Don't count on it._

_"..."_

_"If this is Daiki, I'm sure you've discovered our little present. Search Ryouta's body and you'll find a note from Tetsuya. The two of you have fun now."_

_"Beep."_

_"One day, I'm going to kill the two of you, I swear!"_

_Seems like that day will be coming sooner than I planned,_ the blue haired man snarled in his mind.

For a moment, he considered just leaving. But knowing the couple, they definitely were planning this from the beginning. If he didn't play his part, who knew what that psycho red-head would do next.

He must have looked like a crazy man but he didn't care – the man smashed his hard head against the wall.

_I'll be fine,_ he thought, _it can't be that hard._

Slamming his phone shut, he sized up sleeping beauty. Even in the dim light, the blonde's handsome face could still make Aomine's heart beep faster than normal. He could feel his chest tightening and he had to remind himself to breathe. Biting his lip, he took small steps forward until he was only a mere thirty centimetres away from touching the other man.

"K-Kise," Aomine swore to himself, annoyed by the weakness in his own voice.

"Oi, Kise, wake up," he growled, after clearing his throat.

The model showed no signs of hearing him.

"Kise! Wake up!" he shouted this time and hit the table, shivering as he felt Kise's breath graze his hand.

"Unnn," the blonde moaned, obviously unhappy about being made to awaken from his deep sleep. To the basketball pro's surprise, a hand almost as large as his grabbed onto his wrist. Where those pale fingers grasped his tanned skin, he felt electricity flow into him.

"Let me sleep a little longer," Kise murmured in his bedroom voice.

Aomine squeezed his lips together, shutting them tight to avoid making any sounds that he would regret letting out later. His body felt so hot at that moment, that he felt it difficult to think straight.

"Kise," he exhaled, struggling to speak, "Get up. You're drunk, we need to get you home."

"No..." There is was again:  _that voice._

He tried to ignore the sensation he felt in his pants.

"If you're not going to come willingly, I'll drag you," he grunted.

No response.

Not knowing what he should do, Aomine put both his arms around the other man's and heaved him up. The heat the contact caused almost made his heart jump right out of his chest, but he continued on with sheer willpower. After pulling the tall man on his feet, he draped one of the blonde's long arms around his neck and proceeded to walk him out when he saw a flicker of white in the man's pants pocket. Of all the places though, it had to be the back pocket. Completely aware of his fingers unintentionally touching Kise's bottom, he thought of bloomers and old hags in thongs and other utterly unsexy thoughts, trying to make it through the unbearable process. Somehow, he was able to pull the note out.

_Good evening, Aomine-kun. If you're reading this, you must have called Akashi-kun. That or stripped Kise-kun forcefully. We all know that you're an incorrigible pervert._

"Shut up, Tetsu," the blue head snarled to himself. It definitely was true that couples start to act alike. Kuroko's learned to be more sadistic in the five years since he had gone away.

_Whatever happened – I won't ask (but I'm betting on the second situation) – please escort Kise-kun home regardless. Tuck him into bed and wait for him to wake up. You can choose to leave after laying him on his bed, but then who will lock the door? You wouldn't want to leave him all alone, undefended, do you?_

Further down, the penmanship changed. An address, along with a short note were written down.

_You wouldn't dare refuse an order from me, would you Daiki? Be a good boy._

Aomine scrunched the paper and shoved it in his own shorts pocket.

Trying his best to block out Kise's warm breaths, he used his strength to lug the other man towards the stairs found just pass the exit. Physically, it was an easy task. For a man almost the same height and build as the pro himself, Kise was noticeably lighter. Aomine also noted that the other man was less muscular than he remembered. Mostly the man's abdomen area, which was firm but not as hard as his own.

Emotionally, he didn't know how he should be feeling. Somewhere, he felt the strong longing to embrace his past lover but that came hand-in-hand with the stabs of pain their sudden break up had caused him.

Then, he felt a light tap on his shoulder.

"K-Kise?" he muttered. His heart began pumping blood faster than it had ever done before, and he could himself get light-headed. Carrying a sleeping Kise was one thing, but if he woke up, his poor head would explode from the heat.

"No, it's the bill."

"Huh?" he turned his head around, taking in a deep breath – bad mistake, he inhaled a cloud of the model's familiar cologne – when he noticed that the blonde's face was only an inch away from his... so close, he could kiss those luscious lips.

"Ahem," a voice called out from behind the two, "I'm over here."

Aomine looked over Kise's head to find the scowling waitress from earlier, horrified to realize that it was she who tapped him on the shoulder.

"I hate to interrupt your little...  _moment_ ," the haughty woman spouted, "but here is the bill for the drinks this man has had as well as repair costs for the dent you've made in our fine establishment with that rock of a head you have there."

She paused, then snickered distastefully, "I also see that your head isn't the only thing of yours that is... hard. Cover yourself, you're in public for god's sake."

Aomine's faced flushed and then grew so many shades of red that not even an artist could name them all. Clumsily fishing out his wallet, he shoved his credit card into the unamused woman. Seconds later, the waitress returned and Aomine rushed out of the bar. Whether he was red from embarrassment, rage at the posh fool, annoyed by the idiotic couple or turned on by the sleeping man – possible all of the above – he did not know.

Thankfully, he had found an empty parking space close by earlier when he arrived. Roughly, he dumped the model into the passenger seat before closing the door. Leaning against Kuroko's tiny car, he breathed deeply, grateful for the cool night wind. The briskness of the frosty air helped to calm his pumping heart and return him to a somewhat normal state of mind. Something cool tickled his cheeks, and Aomine realized that it was starting to drizzle. Climbing behind the wheel, he pulled out of the parking lot and drove down the familiar path back to Kise's family home.

 

 

* * *

_On the courts near Kise's home, the two high school students had played basketball. Like always, Aomine was winning and the blonde kept whining for another game. Neither of them had cared that Momoi had chastised them earlier that this wasn't a proper date – that this was something friends would do. Both boys loved basketball, and to them, there wasn't another better way to spend their time together than one-on-ones all day long._

_For much of the morning and afternoon, that's what they did, and they had fun. When evening came around though,, the sky grew dark and the oblivious players got soaked in the sudden storm. Almost instantaneously, the rain had fallen heavily as if someone in the heavens had just dumped a swimming pool onto them. Hair wet and soaked to their underwear – the two boys called it a day and ran in the cold shower back to the blonde's home. Laughing, they discussed how ridiculous this all was, being barely able to see through all this water. It was cold, and it was wet but at least they were together._

_They turned a corner and noticed a vehicle in the white-garaged driveway. Kise un-latched his rusting metal gate and walked in unfazed, whereas the blue haired boy stopped just before the entrance._

_"Your parents are home."_

_Kise frowned, "You can come in anyways."_

_"Nah," the tanned boy shook his head, "It's already time for dinner anyways."_

_The blonde pouted, "You eat dinner at five?"_

_"Fine, I lied," he laughed, "But I don't want to make your parents uncomfortable."_

_"They won't mind."_

_"Just go in, idiot."_

_Kise folded his arms and didn't budge._

_"I'll leave first then," Aomine said, knowing that the boy wouldn't do as he said unless he forced him to. Sharply, he shifted his body so that his back now faced Kise. With slow steps, he began to walk off nonchalantly._

_"Wait, Aominecchi!"_

_Kise's hand grabbed him and the taller boy felt his body lose its balance and he fell against the cold metal thanks to the other boy's strong pull. He turned his head around and groaned. "Just go in already dumba– "_

_Kise had covered his lips with his own, stopping the blue haired boy mid-sentence. Deeply, he kissed him. The cold rain continued to fall, blurring their sights and adding relief to their passionate kiss. Aomine stood frozen as he felt Kise's tongue slip into his agape mouth. He felt the other boy's tongue search every crevice fervently, looking for his own. Regaining his ability to move his body, he wrapped his arms around Kise, bringing him closer to his drenched body and pressed their bodies securely together, only separated by the thin gate. Closing his eyes, he enjoyed the feeling of their two bodies melding into one being, radiating heat and passion. Without his sight, his other senses were heightened. The smell of grass and Kise's cologne, the warmth of his boyfriend's skin on his and... the rapid beating of the boy's heart that mirrored his own. It was unlike any other kiss they shared so far – it was intimate and deep. There wasn't a strong force of lust as when they made love, no, this interaction was on another plane. It was a kiss on the emotional level, filled with a longing of immense love. It left Aomine breathless. It made Kise feel fearless._

_Slowly, after what seemed like an eternity of bliss, Kise pulled away and Aomine felt an instant loneliness overwhelm him as he opened his eyes._

_"At least now, Momoicchi can't say it wasn't a proper date," the blonde whispered, face blushing shyly, "We just kissed in the rain, didn't we? How romantic."_

_The tanned boy reached for the blonde and pulled him into a second embrace, before slapping the blushing boy's behind._

_"Yeah, yeah," he murmured, "Now go on inside before you get the both of us sick."_

_Kise pushed him away and puffed out his cheeks, "You always have to ruin the moment, don't you? Aominecchi, you're such a pervert!"_

_He chuckled, and bent over to kiss him on the forehead, "But, I'm your pervert."_

_Waving lazily, Aomine walked away, heading home. Sneakily, he glanced back once. Still at the gate, Kise stood beet red, covering his forehead and muttering to himself._

_"It's not fair, Aominecchi," then crouching down, he added, "I love you."_

_Neither of them realized at the time, that that was their last kiss._

* * *

 

 

Aomine sat on Kise's bed, back against the wall and played with locks of his ex's golden hair as he stared out the window. Beads of water slid down, as if they're racing, and he remembered how Kise would bother him about that.

_"Hey, hey, Aominecchi! Which raindrop do you think will win?"_

He'd call the model a fool, but would bet on one of them anyways. He never won.

"You told me you loved me," the pro murmured, solemnly, "Was that a lie?"

The blonde slept peacefully, unaware of his questions.

"Who was she?" he asked, "Did she have long, silky hair and big boobs?"

"Did she have dark blue eyes? Those are the only things in your daughter that I don't see in you," he paused, "Besides her personality... Was she headstrong, stubborn and rude too? I don't think Taki got those traits from you."

Only Kise's breaths answered.

"Did you love her?"

"..."

"Did her love for you even equal to a fraction of how much I loved... still love you?"

Silence.

He dropped his voice into a whisper, "Was she worth leaving me for?"

"..."

The rain started to come down harder, and a flash of lightning accompanied the boom of thunder. Other than that, the house was silent save for the creaks of the tree branches in the front and backyard. The gate where they kissed also screeched, but Kise remained unresponsive.

What was he expecting from a guy who was in lala-land, anyways? Releasing the blonde hair he had been fiddling with, Aomine lowered his face to hover just above the model's.

"I get no answers when you're awake, I get nada when you're asleep. What do I have to do to get a glimpse of your mind, Kise?"

Smiling sadly, he brought his face all the way down and pecked the other man tenderly on the forehead.

"That used to get you to do whatever I wanted."

Gently, the man got off the bed and fixed the blankets. Forlornly, he walked out of the room, shutting the door softly as he left.

"Aominecchi," Kise whimpered in his sleep, "I've only ever loved you."

By then it was too late. Aomine had already gone too far to hear his words.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Progress? Oh why couldn't these two just have sat down and talked!? Oh yeah, that's because we wouldn't have much of a story then, ne? xD So close yet so far away, eh? Ahh, I'm so mean to Aomine, embarrassing him like that... but honestly, he's one of my favourite characters! Chapter 3 and 4 were pretty long though, so a short-ish chapter was refreshing to write~ I had a bit of trouble writing the beginning half of this chapter though. Couldn't get into the "mood". But for the second half, I really got into it. I can also thank listening to Taylor Swift's "Last Kiss." xD


	6. I'm Sorry

Standing nervously, Aomine's hand struggled to turn the knob. He had left Kise alone, but now he didn't know where to go. To the living room to watch television? No, that'd be weird. To the kitchen? And what, make the model a sandwich? No thanks. Tired, he had decided to explore the little girl's bedroom, since it was the most foreign to him. Everything else in the house had remained the same, much to his discomfort.

After a couple of fails, he clicked his tongue and rubbed the sweat off of his palms onto his shorts. He never felt this nervous, not even when he entered the rooms of his girlfriends from before he met Kise. Determined, he pushed open the door with force (but quietly, lest he wake up the blonde) and flicked on the light.

The room before him was... well... shocking to say the least.

What was the most eye-catching of everything were the walls. They looked straight out of a home decor magazine as they were so professionally painted, despite the pro knowing that the model would have never let anyone but himself paint the room. Kise was always one who thought that it meant more if you did it with your own hands.

Aomine could make out that it was a scene of the sky, with blue skies and fluffy, white clouds. Other things decorated the wall, but what made him stop and stare was a drawing of an airplane, with a man and little girl sitting happily in the pilot seats. The two people had yellow hair, so he assumed that it was Kise and Taki, which made sense with Kise's dream to be a pilot. Above it, was a messier, sloppy, but similar drawing on an eight and a half by eleven piece of paper. "Taki" had been written on the bottom right corner in red crayon.

Aside from the paint, there were many more things that surprised him. Clothes, toys, paper and what not were all scattered around the room. The sheets on the bed – which he thought, by the way, was much too big for a puny five-year old – were strewn across it, unmade. Looking at the contents, Aomine couldn't really picture what kind of girl Taki really was. Everything about her room was contradictory and it was hard to really brand her with any stereotype.

Taking a step forward, he stepped on something squishy and heard a pop, accompanied with the sound of something deflating. It was a child size basketball.

Near the door, where he was, there was a mini basketball hoop and a basket full of mini balls. Most of them were basketballs, but near the bottom were balls for soccer, foot ball, tennis, baseball, water polo, volley ball – even some birdies for badminton. Next to it, he also found numerous swimsuits and goggles.

_Definitely the athletic type,_ he thought.

Except, in the corner next to what he dubbed "The Sports Area," stood a small vanity mirror packed with girly trinkets. Kise really spoiled her, as he found countless necklaces, bracelets, rings and even earrings. Aomine didn't recall her having piercings yet though, and then found that many of them were clip-ons. She also had an array of cute little hair accessories. He smiled, imagining the model struggling to do her hair so that she'd be the '"cutest little princess ever!"

_A girly-girl? _and he remembered the sports equipment,  _A girly athlete... is that even a clique?_

Next to that, was a bookshelf stacked with books.

_Okay, a girly, athletic nerd. The question should be, what doesn't she like?_

Her clothes in the closet on the opposite side of the large room mirrored the different objects he had seen. This child had everything from baggy t-shirts and shorts for sports, to stylish clothes that must be brand-name and "in right now" to frilly dresses, most likely courtesy of her father's modelling career.

Closing the closet door, he sat down at the desk, which was the neatest part of the room. Pondering about his findings, he saw that the more he explored, the more he came to see that this was yet another trait the girl had inherited from her amber-eyed father. Both of them had many interests, and were open to almost anything. The many sides of them was what made them –  _them._ They had an infinite amount of love and curiosity to give, which was what made them so charming to him. It was one of the things that made him fall for Kise, and what made him grow fond of a child he should have hated.

He placed his head on the desk and rested, before remembering that this was the last place to inspect. Lazily, he scanned the surface. There was a lamp, and a pencil holder filled with writing utensils – but was scarce of anything more. The tanned man glanced down and discovered three drawers, growing in size the lower they went. He started with the top one, only to be disappointed. Only spare notebooks, stacks of paper and a couple of boxes of pens, pencils and colour pencils sat there. With the second, medium-sized drawer, he found 3 more notebooks – but this time, they were labelled and signs of wear were noticeable. He shouldn't have, but curiosity overwhelmed him and he pulled out the oldest dated book, labelled "April."

_Wahh!  Takicchi has turned five years old today! It's time for papa to teach you to write! Takicchi speaks so well, but I'm sure many people want to be able to read your thoughts as well! Like now! Papa is here in your room but you're sleeping! Naughty girl, ignoring me! Haha, Papa is joking! Takicchi is a good girl for sleeping by her bedtime. But at times like these, Papa wants to hear your voice~ If Takicchi writes, Papa can hear your 'voice' even if you're sleeping!_

_**hard** _

_Don't worry about not being to write a lot, okay sweetie? Papa will make sure to practice with you everyday, and read my messages to you! What would you like to eat for breakfast tomorrow?_

_**food** _

_Mm, Papa will need to teach you how to write different food names, huh? It's okay! We'll just wake up earlier and decide together!_

_**like basketball** _

_Today was fun, wasn't it? Takicchi is a genius, I say! Just like your parents..._

Aomine glanced through the rest of the book, filled with the model's paragraphs of text in his neat handwriting, and the short, sloppily written thoughts of the child's. He could imagine the many nights and days they spent, both pondering on what to write. Kise, carefully choosing his words to match her vocabulary. Taki, who has so much to say, but can't find the words to express them all.

He put the book down and switched to the most current one, flipping through nonchalantly. He didn't pay much attention to the text, until he reached the section dated for two weeks ago.

_**papa okay? bad man gone. don't cry. taki loves papa.** _

_Papa is fine. See? ^^ A happy face!_

Looking at the scribbled date, the pro figured that they were talking to me. Guiltily, he felt relieved that Kise had acted strangely enough that his daughter would ask him if he was all right. At least, he wasn't the only one affected. Skipping a couple of lines, he read:

_**papa box** _

_What box, Takicchi?_

_**down what is it** _

_The bottom drawer...?_

_**taki  papa and ?** _

_It's nothing, Takicchi. You don't need to know. Papa promises to tell you one day, but not now okay?_

Kise was keeping a secret from her? Curious, he closed up the book and returned them to their place inside the second drawer. Closing it slowly, he reached to pull open the last drawer, as large as the previous two combined. Inside, was a black, metallic box. Heavy as it seemed, when the basketball pro shook it, the contents did not make a sound. Strangely, it was the box itself that was responsible for most of the weight. He lifted the lid, but found it resisting. Eyes bulging, he stuck his fingers deep under the lid and wrenched the heavy top with all of his might. With a subdued grunt, he heaved, before hearing a pop and feeling something shoot at him, just barely skinning his ear. In his hands, the lid had come off, but then he realized something a little too late.

The reason that it had not open was not because it was stuck... but because the box had been locked. Stupefied, he tried closing the top again, and it still fit. It didn't lock but hey – how would Kise know it was him who broke it? Alls well that ends well.

Finally, he was able to see what the other man had so desperately wanted to hide, from even his own daughter.

With his long fingers, he felt the inside of the box and was sure that his eyes weren't tricking him when he saw that only a single sheet of paper was hidden away.

His shoulders sagged and he groaned, all that for this?

"Well might as well read it,"he grumbled.

* * *

**Birth Certificate**

It is certified that Kise Taki

**Child Description:**

Sex: Female

Weight: 7 lbs

Height: 18 inches

**Parents' Description:**

Mother Father Who Conceived

Given Name: Ryouta

Family Name: Kise

Father

Given Name: Daiki

Family Name: Aomine

Date of Birth: April 2, 2009

Place of Birth: Akashi Residence

Doctor Signature: -

MS Signature: -

* * *

Aomine didn't move. He didn't put the paper down or close the box or say anything at all, not even when he heard a voice call out. He had been tricked – no – led to believe a lie. All of those years, he had believed that Kise had left him for another woman. Now, what will he do? Frozen, he processed the information again.

Kise never had another woman... (well, technically, he never had  _a woman)_

He didn't leave him because he stopped loving him

Taki is his daughter

"What the hell, Kise," Aomine muttered, covering his face with his large, tanned hands and crumpling the certificate in his hand.

* * *

Kise woke up coughing, only slightly aware of his parched throat and throbbing head. Barely, could he piece together the events that transpired that day, leaving him here on his bed.

Akashi and Kuroko had called him out earlier that afternoon, asking him to get a drink with them. He refused, obviously, because it was his rare chance to spend the whole day with his beloved daughter. However, the pair had come shortly over and seduced his little girl with their son and well, he couldn't refuse her when her eyes glowed like that. It made him a little sad that she chose to go play with Souta rather than spend time with him. Pouting, he wondered if this was how fathers felt when their daughters began dating.

Yawning, the model pushed that thought out of his mind. He would address that another day. For now, his heart couldn't handle the thought of some evil little turkey-head snatching away Taki.

Rubbing his aching temples, he proceeded to remember what happened afterwards.

Happy that their plan had worked, the two shorter men kidnapped Kise and dragged him to a bar. There, ignoring his protests, they ordered countless times, forcing Kise to consume drink after drink. Eventually, he passed out and ... well he woke up here.

Unfortunately, it seemed that he had passed out and couldn't remember a lick of what happened in the past couple of hours. Seeing as he was in his own bed though, he guessed that the couple had brought him home.

"Ugh..." he struggled to speak. He cleared his voice a couple of times, and it got better, but it still sounded scratchy. Stretching his arms above his head, he got up and stumbled his way towards his door.

_Water,_ he thought, cupping his head with his large hands. Yes, water was going to relieve the dang hangover of his for a bit.

When he left his room though, closing the door with a click, a bright halo came to sight. As he squinted, he found that Taki's door was slightly open, lights on.

_Geez , how could they leave her here with me when I'm this wasted?_ he thought angrily.

The couple was probably long gone now, so Kise decided to drop the subject until tomorrow. Knocking on the door, he called out sweetly, "Takicchi! Papa's going to come in!"

He didn't receive a response, which was odd.

"Takicchi? What's wrong?" He said louder, knocking once again.

"Takicchi, are you in pain somewhere?" He started to push open the door, "Let papa help yo – "

In place of his three-foot tall child, sat a tanned six-foot giant.

"Aominecchi... how did you – ah, no – what are you doing in here?"

Anxiety built up in his chest and he could feel his palms sweat. When the blue haired man didn't move, or speak, he walked cautiously towards him. The blonde stopped several centimetres away, feeling self-conscious. Awkwardly, he reached out but froze – he couldn't bring himself to touch the other man.

"A-Aominecchi?" the sound of his past boyfriend's name felt strange and painful on the model's tongue.

"Kise."

He recoiled. Aomine had only said his name but... it was the way he said it that made him retreat. The man's voice had been low, but filled with so much intensity and ferociousness that Kise's knees almost gave way right there.

"What is it, Aominecchi?"

"I need to ask you something."

"I-it's not really a good time..."

"No," he barked, "You'll answer me here and now. Don't try to run away."

Kise whimpered, and understood that he could not defy this man right now. There was something different about him. Aomine was usually domineering, but at this moment he would not take anything but a yes from him – like Akashi.

"What do you want to ask?" he squeaked.

"This," the man was taking slow, deep breaths and looked to be struggling to find the proper words, "What is this?"

"I can't see it, Aominecchi."

Trembling, the taller man stood up and turned to face him. The screech of the chair caused the model to take a step back. He tilted his head to try and look at the other man's face, but it was lowered, so Kise couldn't see his expression well. With an outstretched arm, Aomine unravelled his tanned hand to reveal a crumpled piece of paper.

Hesitantly, the blonde took the ball of paper and watched as Aomine winced when his finger grazed the man's skin. With his own long, pale fingers, he smoothed out the material and his eyes bulged out. In his hands, was Taki's birth certificate in which their names were printed clearly.

"This...How did you – !" Kise bolted behind the man to discover his safety box pried open.

"Answer my question," the pro said, flatly.

"Why did you do that! It's an invasion of my privacy!"

"Answer my question."

"You had no business being in here and – "

"Kise!"

The model trembled in fear at the raw voice he heard, and felt a strong force push him, making him unbalanced and causing him to fall onto the bed. Before he could regain his senses, he felt his hands being restrained above his head and saw a large body loom over him, covering the light.

"Aominecchi, let go of me," he snarled.

"After you answer my damn question!"

"A birth certificate, okay? That's what it is! Now let go of me!"

"That's not it, you bastard!" his voice grew louder, "What the hell is she? What the hell are  _you?_ "

"It's what you think it is, goddammit!" the blonde felt tears well in his eyes. He couldn't hold it anymore and blurted, "She's your daughter... she's  _our_  daughter!"

Disbelief flickered across the man's face, "Don't shit with me, Kise! You expect me to believe that?"

"Believe what you will!" the tears were streaming down his face now, but he didn't care anymore, "You've seen her, you've read that document. It's right before your stupid eyes!"

Aomine looked ready to slug him, " _Fuck!_ "

No other words in his vocabulary could express what he wanted to say.

"I was supposed to have been a girl," Kise snarled, "But I developed into a boy while still keeping the inner female reproductive system. Funny, isn't it? If I hadn't become a freak of nature, we could have been  _a normal couple._ "

The model laughed bitterly, cursing his own life.

"Hah," he continued, "Actually, even if I was still born a boy, if only these stupid things inside of me weren't there, at least we could have been a normal gay couple. The million dollar question here is  _why couldn't I have been normal!_ "

Aomine's straight face didn't change – devoid of emotion.

"How long have you known?"

Kise turned his face away, "Since that summer."

"That summer, five years ago?"

"Yes."

"So you've known before I even left, that you wouldn't be going with me," the pro whispered, more of a statement than a question.

Kise closed his eyes and said, sadly, "That's right – I never planned on going with you."

"Why?"

Warm liquid fell onto the blonde's cheeks, quickly turning cold. He looked up surprise, and saw the most heart-breaking expression plastered all over Aomine's face. The man looked betrayed, tears spilling out of the edges of his eyes. It was the expression someone wore when the shock had finally gone and the truth has sunk in. It was the expression someone only wore when they couldn't hold it in any longer, and Kise knew even without being told, that this pain was what's been bottled up in the man for five years.

"Why?" Aomine repeated, " _Why?!_ "

He was shouting now, shoulders shaking from the raw emotions pouring out.

"Did you not _trust_  me? Was I not  _good enough_?"

"Aominecchi..." the model swallowed. He had no idea what to say. All that came to his mind sounded like excuses.

"Did I not love you enough?"

Kise frantically shook his head to deny that, "No.. no, that could never be it. You loved me so much that I could never have asked more. Those years we spent together were – no –  _still are_  the happiest time in my life. Don't ever think like that!"

"Then why, Kise? Tell me  _why._  How should I think? Why won't you tell me the reason?  _I've been waiting for five damn years!_ "

"I..."

Kise bit his bottom lip. Now was the time to put those reasons into words, those reasons that had sounded so justified in his own mind. He had held onto them so strongly to try to cover up the pain and guilt.

"I was afraid you'd hate me, reject me..."

"Bullshit."

" _I know_ ," he felt the familiar ache, "But that's what I told the others."

"So?" He snapped, "Hurry up and spit it out the real reason, damn it!"

"I-," he had to hold back his tears, so he could sound legible, "I didn't want to be the reason you didn't go to America. The reason you'd give up your chance."

He waited for it, for the tanned man to dismiss it. He waited for the man to say that he wouldn't have not gone. But Aomine didn't give him any of that.

In its place, he said, "What would you do now then, if I quit basketball now?"

"You can't!" Kise struggled against him, trying to force him off of himself.

Aomine's grip tightened instead, and he remained stable above the man.

"Oh," his azure eyes grew hard, "but I can, Kise. This sport caused me to lose you for all of these years. It caused me to  _miss five years_ of my first-born daughter's life. Why should I continue playing it, when nothing good has come out of it?"

Hearing this, Kise only fought harder. He was speechless... and so afraid.

"Did you ever think about that, Kise? What I would do if I found out?"

"You wouldn't have gone to America, I knew that!" he shouted in frustration, "I thought so hard about it and I was so afraid."

" _Well you didn't think hard enough!_ "

The pro let go of other man's arms, and leaned back until he sat on his knees with Kise between his legs. Holding onto the model's face, he positioned it so their eyes met.

"Don't turn away. Look at me."

Kise obeyed.

"You were right – I would have stayed."

The blonde tried to say "I knew it," but Aomine covered his mouth with a hand.

"What you didn't understand, is that not going to America then didn't mean I'd give up basketball. Don't give me the crap about it being a once-in-a-lifetime chance. Do you not remember who the hell I am? I am a one-in-a-thousand-million miracle. As long as I kept playing, no matter where I am, I'd be noticed, and one day I'd play in the big leagues anyways. It was never a matter of  _if,_  but  _when_."

His words took it's time to sink into Kise, who began to stop squirming. Aomine watched as the realization dawned onto the model, and dropped his hand.

"You..." Kise looked up at him, confused and with eyes filled with regret, "I... never thought about it. Never thought deep enough, far enough..."

Kise covered his eyes with as his tears of shock fell down.

"I'm sorry... I'm sorry..." he kept murmuring.

Aomine with the same sad dazed expression watched him in solemnity, not quite being there at the moment. Without a sound, he got off the man and walked towards the doorway.

After reaching the hallway, the pro lingered there for a second. Without turning his back, he spoke quietly, just loud enough for Kise to hear.

"Kise," he said in a grave voice, "I'm leaving in less than a month, when my vacation ends."

The blonde didn't respond.

"When the time comes, I'll be taking Taki with me to America. I'm prepared to take you into court to do so."

With dead eyes, the man left the room and in the blackness of his closed eyelids, Kise continued to let the tears fall as he heard the sombre footsteps fade. His door chimed open, then clicked close.

"I'm sorry..." he cried, clutching onto his shirt, "I'm so sorry."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hello! Chapter 6~ The inevitable finally happened! Aomine found out! Ahh, Aomine was more heart broken then angry here. But I hope you don't dislike Kise too much (or me for the matter xD)! He was young and naive. I've kind of made him become a teenage girl it seems... although it's kind of befitting. I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter, even with all of the build-up (I'm sorry if it was a bit boring OTL) Until next time ~


	7. Even If I Should, I don't

"What's wrong with you today, Ahomine?"

 

The small blonde kicked him in the back of his knee.

 

While trying to stay balanced, Aomine glared at her.

 

"Don't kick people, didn't your dad teach you better?"

 

"You're not a person. You're an Ahomine," she snorted, "You deserved it anyways. What a sloppy game you're playing."

 

"Hmph," he tapped her head with his knuckles, "For all your talk, you still haven't beaten me even though I'm playing half-heartedly."

 

"Geez, it's because you're acting like this. I'm showing you mercy. What will I do if I crush you so badly that you quit basketball?"

 

He ruffled her hair and smiled, "Yeah, yeah. You're a good girl, thanks."

 

"..." she gave him a disgusted scowl.

 

"What?"

 

Slapping his hand away, she backed away slowly before running towards Kuroko who had just returned to the gym.

 

"Hey, Tetsu-kun! I think Ahomine is sick. He's acting all nice and gross and stuff!"

 

"What – who you calling gross!"

 

The pro strode towards the girl who had climbed into the arms of the smaller man.

 

"Ahomine's gross, gross, yucky, creepy and gross!" she chanted playfully.

 

"Be quiet, you brat!" he reached to pinch her cheeks.

 

"Uwaa! Ahomine is a violent pervert!"

 

"Who'd want to perv on a kid like you!?"

 

"Don't be gross, Aomine-kun, calm down."

 

"Man, not you too, Tetsu."

 

The basketball player let out a muffled curse and looked away. He still couldn't get the fact that Taki was his biological daughter. Now that he looks at her, he could see himself in her better than before. Definitely, those azure eyes were his, and her personality came from him (unfortunately). Although he no longer hurt himself with thoughts of what the girl's non-existent mother was like when he looked at her, he felt awkward at times. Just how should he act around her? Should he dote on her more? Looking at the current situation, the answer would be no.

 

"Taki-san, Kise-kun has come for you," Kuroko's voice rang in the nearly empty gym, and Aomine snapped back into reality.

 

"Papa's here?" She jumped down and hopped up and down eagerly, "I've got to go then! See you, Ahomine, Tetsu-kun!"

 

He wanted to tell her goodbye, or to be safe, but she was gone before he could make up his mind.

 

"Ah – Aomine-kun,"

 

"What now, Tetsu?"

 

"You're free this evening, aren't you?"

 

"Yeah, what about it?"

 

"Don't go home just yet. Akashi-kun wants to talk to you about something. He told me to invite you to dinner."

 

"No need, I'll just tell him whatever he wants to hear about in his office."

 

"He insisted. Meet us in the lobby. We'll be going out to dine. 'Not buts.' Akashi-kun had told me to say."

 

"Yeah, all right, I got it," the man grumbled.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

"Tell me what happened between you and Ryouta Saturday night."

 

Aomine choked on his wine, sputtering the liquid on the table, his food and his clothes messily. He was expecting the question to pop out, but it didn't unnerve him any less. Akashi looked at him thoughtfully, sizing up his reaction. Through those heterochromatic eyes, you could see him creating different scenarios and calculating what had occurred in that house behind the cover of the night.

 

"Ryouta won't talk, even when I threaten him. He's withdrawn, and is always flaunting that fake model smile around," the red-head continued.

 

Kuroko handed the choking man napkins to clean up his mess, "I think Aomine-kun's found out the truth about Taki-san."

 

"How'd you know?" he coughed.

 

"You've changed your attitude towards her," the smaller man grew irritated at Aomine's clumsy hands and began to wipe up the water for him, "Anyone can tell. Even Taki-san has come to notice the changes, Mr. Gross."

 

"Don't let Tetsu keep caring after you," Akashi said in a low threatening voice while glowering at the pro.

 

Scared, Aomine shifted himself slightly away from Kuroko.

 

"It's fine, let me," the light blue hair man said.

 

"Uh, no," he felt a killing intent in front of him, "I-I'm good..."

 

Shrugging ,the other man put down the napkins and continued sipping his milkshake.

 

"So you found out... well, it's about time," the former captain stated, "What did you do after?"

 

In his mind he recalled how angry and hurt he had been, and how forceful he had dealt with Kise. He blushed when he remembered how he forced Kise onto the bed and then was embarrassed by the next detail after.

 

"About that... I just said it on the spur of the moment," he murmured.

 

"And what did you say?" Akashi raised an eyebrow.

 

"Funny story...," he scratched his head, "I told him that at the end of my vacation, I'd take him to court to gain custody of Taki... and take her back to America."

 

Two pairs of blank eyes stared at him disappointingly.

 

"Aomine-kun, you're really stupid."

 

"Tetsu!?"

 

"Tetsuya is right, Daiki," Akashi shook his head, "Think about it, would you even be able to win the case? It'd be kind of pointless if you went, only to go back to America alone."

 

Kuroko agreed, "Kise-kun has the advantage. The court will rule in favour of the child's well-being. Kise-kun has been with Taki-san for the past five years, taking care of her. He knows everything there is to about her. Aomine-kun, you, on the other hand, don't know her or how to take care of children. Plus, you'd be removing a young child from her home country and dragging her into an unknown world. She'd be extremely lonely and uncomfortable without Kise-kun."

 

"Okay, yeah I get, okay?" Aomine grumbled, "Stupid move – I know. I was just really angry and hurt that he never told me."

 

"You sound like a teenage girl."

 

"Shut up, Tetsu."

 

"Well it wasn't a completely fruitless antic," Akashi stirred the contents of his drink, Ryouta is so dense that he probably doesn't realize that Daiki can't win."

 

"Kise-kun is probably heartbroken and dying of regret. You must be happy, Aomine-kun."

 

"Don't make me sound like the villain," he shot him a look, "Yeah, I'm pissed as hell because of that guy. I didn't mean to hurt him on purpose though, it just happened that way."

 

"What are you going to do now?"

 

He never thought of that. Staring at his pensive captain, he honestly spoke out, "I don't know."

 

"Do you really want to bring Taki-san back with you?" Kuroko asked.

 

"I don't know. I haven't even spent that much time with her. She's a great kid, I see that. I'm sure I'll eventually grow to love her but I just don't know."

 

"Even if you can grow to love her, that doesn't mean she will be able to do the same to you."

 

"That's true, too," Aomine leaned back, "If I take her away from her daddy-dearest, I'm sure she'll just grow up to hate me."

 

The tanned basketball player glanced away, focusing on anything but the two other men. Akashi and Kuroko could see that he was deep in his own thoughts, troubled with no idea of what he should do.

 

"What about Ryouta?"

 

"What about him?"

 

Akashi frowned, "How do you feel about him, now that you know the facts?"

 

"I hate him..."

 

Kuroko and his partner exchanged sombre glances.

 

"... Is what I'd like to say."

 

"Aomine-kun..."

 

The man rested his head against the chair and gave the couple a rueful smile.

 

"I find it strange myself too. That bastard's hidden something like this from me – he betrayed me. When I got home that night, you know what I did? I screamed, I shouted. I took a pair of scissors and slashed all of the pillows in that hotel room. I cursed my life, I cursed god, I cursed him – but still I couldn't being myself hate him. On the nights I couldn't sleep, I couldn't even imagine beating his sorry ass. Instead, I kept remembering the times we spent together. I remembered our kisses, how we made love, his annoying voice and how much I loved him."

 

"Have you thought about getting back together with him?"

 

He reached for his glass and swigged the remnants of his drink in one-shot.

 

"I'd be lying if I said I didn't. But after all this, I don't even know if I can try. I get that he was scared, and – from the little knowledge I have about pregnancy – that those hormone things or whatever were messing with him, but he's not without blame. If only he had trusted me."

 

"Ryouta must think that way too."

 

Akashi looked at Aomine with purposeful eyes.

 

"He feels unworthy of you now. He feels that if he were to go after you now, you'd see him as a pathetic gold digger."

 

"I thought you said he wouldn't talk to you."

 

"He didn't tell me anything, but I know."

 

Knowing Akashi, that was probably true.

 

"Are you telling me that you want me to chase after him again?"

 

"What I want is irrelevant – Daiki, what do _you_ want?"

 

"Jesus, stop it with this psychology crap. You're messing up my head."

 

"I won't pester you for an answer now, Daiki. But think about it long and hard. Now you know the facts – don't make a decision you know you will regret."

 

"... I don't need you to tell me that."

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

After dinner, Aomine laid on his bed, ruminating again on what he should do. His recent memories of Kise played in his head like a slideshow, before being overlapped with the past. Thinking through this now, he's come to see how much the model has changed, both physically and mentally. On the outside, the hard years of single parenting were ever present, with the dark bags, sunken cheeks and light frown lines. He was paler and scrawnier – probably from the lack of sleep and exercise. Within, the other man had grown up more mature and dark. The high school Kise was always bubbly and cheery. This young man who should still have the energy of a youth was always hiding something behind his hazel eyes – a boundless sea of regret and guilt.

 

Covering his head with a pillow the staff was kind enough to replace, Aomine closed his eyes. He tried to picture what Kise would have felt all those years ago.

 

_Kise, were you afraid? Ah, that was stupid to ask. Of course you were._

The blue head imagined how he'd feel to find out after sixteen years that he was technically female on the inside – was supposed to have been female. Worst yet, he would have had to find out pregnant. He shivered, horrified by that thought.

 

_Were your parents shocked? Angry? Did your sisters freak out?_

He thought of how they might have yelled at him, cursed at the blonde, and how hard Kise would have had to hold back his tears. He thought of how he'd have held Kise in his arms and spoke in his defence.

 

_It's been hard on you too, hasn't it?_

All this time, he's been blaming the blonde. If only, if only – what had he himself done in these five years? Recalling the long years after he got to America, he reminded himself that not once did he try to meet up with Kise. When he got off, he called and he emailed... but why didn't he ever go back? In these five years, he's had multiple vacations... but only now had he returned to Japan. It would've been easy, to hop on a plane and come home – he could even just use the excuse of visiting his parents.

 

_That's right... I was afraid,_ he thought, _No. I wasn't just afraid, I was a coward. Scared to hear the truth, scared to be rejected...Kise, I felt the same way as you did._

Flipping his body so that he was laying face down, he forced the gate to his memories to unlock, consciously. Ignoring all of the heartache it brought him, he focused alternatively on each Kise-related memory.

 

_"Aominecchi! Aominecchi! L-Look! We're so high up.... oh my god we're going dooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooown!"_

_"Stop screaming like a girl, idiot! Ouch! You're squeezing my arm too tightly!"_

That was the first time they rode a roller coaster together. Kise's grip did hurt but he didn't mind.

 

_"Cheese!"_

_"Wet go ouf ma cheeks!"_

_Kise pouted, "If I don't do this, then you won't smile!"_

_The blonde let go and exited the booth._

_"Besides, look! It's a cute picture, don't you think?"_

_"Tch," the tanned boy blushed, "Whatever. You're paying for it!"_

_"Eh," he whined, "Isn't the man supposed to pay for these things?"_

_"Huh?" Aomine rolled his eyes, "We're both 'the man' here!"_

_"Ah, you're right!" Kise let out a cheery laugh._

He loved that laugh. He wanted to hear it again so badly.

 

_"Hey, Aominecchi?"_

_"What?"_

_"What would you think of us having a family?"_

_He raised his eyebrows._

_"I meant like.. you know... if we had a baby of our own."_

_"I don't know. Never thought that far ahead. We're only sixteen anyways. Besides," he scoffed, "I think our kid will grow up weird, with no mom. I don't want to make a kid grow up ashamed to have gay parents."_

_Kise laughed nervously, "Hahaha... You're right..."_

"Oh..."

 

Replaying that last memory again, he smothered his face in the fluffy pillow. Why hadn't he felt it before? Kise was discreetly trying to get his attention, to get some confidence that the other boy wouldn't reject him. Of course, it was kind of stupid to expect that the pro could pick up that something was wrong with only those vague hints but still... Kise did try, albeit not hard enough it seems.

 

He groaned, "Damn it, Kise. What do you want me to do?"

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

The next day, Aomine stood nervously in front of the white garage, pacing back and forth. He readjusted his collar, and cleared his voice a couple of times.

 

_Just act cool, you can do this, Daiki._

"Ah, shit," he murmured to himself, "How lame did I get that I have to give myself pep talks?"

 

Inhaling deeply, he clenched his fist and stomped up the two steps. Shaking, he pushed the small doorbell with one of his long fingers. As the chime ringed, it took all of his willpower to not turn around and bolt.

 

Rapid footsteps could be heard from behind the door, followed by calm ones. With his heart racing, he reached a clammy hand to wipe the sweat off his brow. The lock clicked and the door slowly opened. Behind the door, in the entrance way, two pairs of eyes stared at him.

 

"Uh, 'sup, Kise."

 

"...." the model stood, frozen.

 

"Hmm? What's Ahomine doing here?"

 

The little girl let go of her father's pants and walked towards the pro.

 

"I, uh, have some things to talk about with your father."

 

"What? You better not be complaining to papa and asking him to make me go easy on you."

 

"As if, you brat," he reached down to ruffle her hair. Taki squealed and punched him in the stomach.

 

"Ah," the small exchange seemed to have brought Kise back to his senses, "C-come in..."

 

The blonde man awkwardly stepped aside, gesturing for him to enter.

 

Anxiously, Aomine walked inside and removed his shoes.

 

"Takicchi? Be a good girl and go play in your room, okay?"

 

"What? Why can't I stay here?"

 

"Please just listen to papa today, okay?"

 

Taki frowned and opened her mouth to retort, but chose to instead obey.

 

The two men watched as tiny feet clambered up the stairs and disappeared into a room. 

 

"Um, this way," Kise started walking over to the kitchen. Aomine followed him to a quaint room with marble counters and pale yellow walls. Near the sliding door that led to the blonde's patio was a round table and he went to take a seat in one of the chairs.

 

"Would you like something to drink?" Kise's voice was high, filled with the same uneasiness that Aomine too was feeling.

 

"Just water is fine."

 

The fridge door popped open and the sound of water pouring could be heard. Kise soon after walked to the polished wooden table with two glasses of ice water. Accompanied with gentle clinking noises, he set a glass in front of the tanned man and held onto one for himself. Both of them stared at their own sights; Aomine fiddled with his glass and Kise stared out the window, absentmindedly.

 

"So," they both said at the same time.

 

"Ah, you first," Aomine said, voice cracking.

 

"N-no, you first. Please," Kise was acting jumpy, which was to be expected, considering how well their last meeting went. Flustered, the man took a straw from the holder and then started sipping his drink fervently.

 

"Okay," he put down his drink onto the table. "I've been... thinking about last Saturday."

 

He paused, and looked at Kise who avoided eye contact. Clearing his throat, he continued, "And well, I think that I should spend more time with your – no, our daughter. Like, take her places and uh, stuff."

 

Aomine hated how much he was stuttering.

 

"You want to bond with her more."

 

"Yeah, basically."

 

Kise winced, "I don't have much of a say in this matter, do I? I don't have the right to tell you that you can't spend time with her..."

 

"Yeah..."

 

Kise fell quiet again, and Aomine fidgeted in his seat. The silence made him uncomfortable.

 

"I was sort of thinking that, you know, I'd start today."

 

"You want to bring her somewhere today?" The blonde clutched his glass tightly, "It's kind of sudden, don't you think?"

 

"I know, but it's also not like I have a lot of time."

 

His grip loosened, "Oh... that's right. You're leaving in less than a month..."

 

Aomine lifted a fist and faked a cough, "But you know, I was well, kind of thinking of asking you to tag along."

 

"Me?" Kise looked at him with bewildered eyes.

 

"Don't get the wrong idea!" Aomine said, flushed, "It'll probably be easier for her to be comfortable if her pops around, you know. And you know what they say about kids! If someone they care about acts friendly to another person, they'd bond more quickly."

 

Kise's face fell in what the pro saw as disappointment. Aomine's felt butterflies in his stomach.

 

"I think that's the saying for dogs."

 

Was it? Aomine didn't know, "S-same thing!"

 

"Are you calling our daughter a dog?" Kise scowled at him.

 

_Our daughter._ The butterflies grew erratic, as if those two words gave them a caffeine boost.

 

"What, no –! T-that's not what I meant. Well, she is kind of but so were you and she's your daughter and, oh I meant that you just acted like a dog, in a good way, how you'd follow me around and since she's your kid and ah –"

 

Kise's eyes grew gentler, and he laughed quietly. The sweet sound of it made Aomine blush and heart flutter.

 

With a nostalgic expression, Kise said, "You haven't changed all that much, Aominecchi."

 

He looked away embarrassed, "You've changed a lot."

 

The blonde let out a chuckle, "I've become a jaded man."

 

"Uh, yeah, anyways, get moving. Um, I mean, if you could please hurry. If we don't go now, the sun will start setting."

 

_He's acting so formal,_ Kise thought sadly.

 

"Where are we going?" The blonde asked.

 

"You'll see when we get there."

 

Kise dismissed this with a wave and got up from his chair. Before leaving, he looked Aomine in the eyes and asked, honestly, "Is it really all right if I go?"

 

The other man stared back firmly with his clear, determined eyes.

 

"I don't hate you, Kise. Even if I should, I don't."

 

Hearing these words, the model quickly mumbled that he needed to excuse himself to get the young girl. Sprinting up the stairs, he rushed to the Taki's room and slammed the door shut.

 

"Papa?" the girl looked at him with wide eyes.  

 

Kise dropped to the floor and pulled her close.

 

_"I don't hate you, Kise. Even if I should, I don't."_

 

"What should I do?" he whimpered.

 

Warm hands wrapped around him and for the nth time, he was grateful for the comfort.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Lalalalala~ Back to school chapter (Thank god it was a late start. I was looking at Aokise fanart all night)~
> 
> This time, it's a dialogue heavy chapter~ Return of the AkaKuro couple! I really want to write smut for them hehehe.
> 
> Was that (the forgiving part) too fast? Did it seem unnatural that Aomine was able to ask Kise out so quickly? I hope it didn't seem too rushed. But I also didn't want to put in days worth of Aomine pondering. You can see a confused and ruminating Kise though. I hope to show Kise's good points soon lala. See you lovelies next time! And as always, I hope you had fun reading it!


	8. Nope, Not a Dream

Maybe it was because it was a Saturday, or early afternoon, perhaps even because it was both, but the subway was extra crowded today. Forget seats, even finding a place to stand was difficult. On every side of Aomine, someone was jabbing him somewhere or glaring at him to get out of their face. During more than one occasion, he had to squeeze closer to his blonde companions. Thankfully, Kise was carrying Taki in his arms, forming a sort of barrier between the two men. Aomine didn't know how he'd live if his face was any closer to the model's.

 

As the train moved further though, more of the passengers got out rather than on, and eventually there was enough breathing room to calm the pro's heart. From the corner of his eye, he spotted an empty spot and walked towards it.

 

"Kise," he said, gesturing for the other man to sit.

 

"Oh, I'm okay. You can go ahead."

 

"You must be tired and aren't you know... more fragile after _that_ happened," he pointed at the oblivious girl.

 

The blonde gave him a strange look, "It's been five years. I don't think it's normal, even for women, after all of these years."

 

"Oh," he blushed, embarrassed.

 

Kise let out a shy smile, "Thanks anyways. Takicchi would probably like to sit down too," and the father-daughter pair plopped down onto the red velvet seats.

 

"Neh, papa, where are we going?" Taki tilted her head back, almost falling backwards to look at her dad.

 

Smiling, he rested his chin on his little girl's head, "Hm? I wonder that too. You'll have to ask Aominecchi."

 

"Where are you taking us and why, Ahomine?"

 

"What's with the sudden change of tone?" The blue haired man said.

 

"You appear out of nowhere and make us go out with you. Don't you have any friends? Oh wait, you're an Ahomine."

 

"Kise is my friend," _actually ex-lover but she doesn't need to know_.

 

Rolling her eyes she snapped, "Papa probably felt sorry for you and talked to you once."

 

He flicked her forehead and dismissed her statement.

 

"You are so not cute. Why can't you act sweet for me too?" Aomine raised his voice and pinched the bridge of his nose, "Say, 'Where are we going, Aomine-sama?"

 

Taki cringed and tried to hide herself in her father's chest, "Yuck. Don't be so gross and answer the question."

 

"Don't call me gross, you brat."

 

"Shut up, stupid."

 

"No, you shut up, stupid."

 

"Brat."

 

"Don't copy me!" they both said.

 

Taki pointed an accusing finger at him, "You copied me first!"

 

"I was thinking that you were stupid even before you said that I was. Besides, a brat shouldn't call someone else a brat."

 

"Stop calling me a brat."

 

"A brat is a brat."

 

She raised a shaking fist at him threateningly.

 

Kise patted her on the head, "Aominecchi, it'd be nice if you didn't bully my daughter."

 

"Hey, you can't gang up. Two on one isn't fair."

 

Their eyes met and an uneasy silence followed. It was awkward trying to act like the last five years never happened. But if they didn't, they wouldn't be able to get through the day.

 

_"Next stop, ------ Zoo. Next stop ------ Zoo,"_ the robotic female subway recording announced.

 

"We're getting off here," Aomine told the pair, while walking towards the exit.

 

"We're going to he zoo?" Kise followed but with a sceptical look on his face.

 

"Yeah. Got a problem with that?"

 

"Ah, no..."

 

Making their way up the stairs and out of the station, the group was met with a warm breeze and blaring sunlight. Across the street was a large sign with a giraffe on it.

 

"What is the zoo?"

 

"See? You are stupid."

 

"Be quiet, Ahomine."

 

"You're the idiot."

 

"Aominecchi..." Kise was glaring.

 

Putting up his hands as if to say he was just joking, the tanned man tried to calm down the blonde.

 

"Takicchi, the zoo is a place where we can see animals."

 

"Really? Like elephants and tigers!"

 

"Yes, like the ones in your picture books."

 

Aomine watched as her eyes grew wide from excitement. Wriggling to get down from the other man's arms, she tugged both of their hands.

 

"Come on! What are we waiting for? Time's a-wasting boys!"

 

"Slow down, hot-shot," he laughed, "We have to wait for the light to turn. Don't want to get run over before you get to see them."

 

Slightly disappointed, Taki nodded in acknowledgement that the man was right, but was still jittery and impatient. She kept hopping, switching from one foot to another and bouncing up and down like she had ants-in-her-pants. Finally, the light turned red and the little white outline of a man appeared. Excited, she bolted right out onto the street – just as a car sped past the red-light.

 

"Takicchi!"

 

She froze, body rigid, dilating pupils. The rusting car tried to swerve away but anyone could have seen that it was too late for the driver to dodge.

 

She'd be hit.

 

 

 

 

 

_I can't let that happen._

Aomine sprinted faster than he ever had before, not caring that his joints screamed and protested from the sudden burst. He reached his long tan arms around the petrified girl and shot their bodies forward, narrowly dodging the vehicle. Not having time to prepare for a landing, they crashed into the ground, skidding, and rolling on the pavement before hitting a pole.

 

When he opened his eyes, he saw the world spinning and was only vaguely aware of what was happening. He looked down and was shocked to see blood, dripping down the child's pale face.

 

"H-hey! Are you okay?"

 

She was cold, and trembling.

 

"Taki, can you hear me? Are you okay?"

 

Tears stemmed at the edges of her eyes, but she managed to nod her head slightly. She looked up with frightened eyes.

 

"Uh..."

 

"Where does it hurt?" he shouted, afraid that she could be dying before his eyes.

 

"Taki is... I am okay..."

 

"You are so not okay! You're bleeding!"

 

With a hand, she reached to touch his face. Where her fingers grazed sent a wave of pain through him, "The blood isn't mine. It's yours..."

 

Reaching for his pocket, he fumbled with his cell phone. Clumsily opening it, he discovered that he had scratches all over his right cheek and temple.

 

"Are you okay?" her voice trembled hoarsely with worry.

 

"Yeah, this is nothing," he tried to reassure her.

 

From the distance, he heard shouts and saw a crowd form. Staggering, he stood up, slightly dizzy from his injuries.

 

Taki grasped onto him and lowered her face as they approached the scene. Pushing others out of the way, they saw a man getting his face pounded in by none other than Kise.

 

"You fucking asshole!" the model was screaming, "You could have killed her!"

 

Murmurs arose from around the crowd, some afraid and others egging the blonde on.

 

"Why were you so stupid? What would you have done if I lost both of them!?"

 

His amber eyes had grown into the dark hazel which Aomine knew signalled that the man was losing control. Dropping the weakened girl onto her two little feet, he told her to stay put and wait for him, before pulling Kise off the driver.

 

"Let go of me! This bastard deserves to die!"

 

"Stop it, Kise!" he pleaded, "We're both okay. There's no point in becoming a murderer!"

 

Words weren't working and Aomine was glad that Kise had shrunken over the years he's been away. If the other man had continued building muscle the way he used to, holding him down would have proven even more difficult than it already was.

 

"Kise, it's over. Just stop!"

 

Without a choice, Aomine had to pin him down. Pushing the model face down, he pinned the man's arms behind his back and shivered when he saw his expression. It was a face twisted and consumed by rage, not unlike the face a mother bear made when someone threatened her cubs. He scolded himself for thinking this, but couldn't help but think how befitting it was considering how they're at the zoo and all.

 

Feeling that Kise was not ready to calm down, he glared at the bloodied driver, "If you value your life, get the fuck out of here. I never want to see your sorry face again!"

 

Scrambling like a frightened prey, the driver fled into his car and drove away.

 

To the rest of the crowd, he shouted, "Move along! There's nothing to see here."

 

Slowly, the people dispersed, some glowering at him for his attitude and others showing concern over the accident. Neither of their actions were of any help to them.

 

"Kise, he's gone now. Get yourself together now," he growled.

 

The model's rage remained unchanged, and Aomine began to wonder if he should knock the other man out. He didn't want to be here when the police came. "Top model beats the living daylight out of driver" as the headline of every paper wouldn't be very good publicity for Kise's career. He didn't care about the saying, "there's no such thing as bad publicity." What kind of idiot would want to be known as a cold-blooded killer?

 

Taki popped out from behind his aching back and began patting her papa's head, fearlessly, "Papa needs to cool down, or else you have to go sit in the time out corner."

 

"Oi, you can't get so close. He's dangerous right now."

 

She ignored him and kept her eyes on her father, "Violence is never the answer, papa you taught me that. Remember when you yelled at me when I hit stupid Souta? Does Taki need to yell at papa too?"

 

Aomine glanced nervously between the parent and child, but felt relieved when Kise's expression began to soften.

 

"Papa is supposed to be Taki's role model. You can't be like this," she scolded, "What if Taki grows up to be an abusive housewife when she's older?"

 

Kise's face eventually returned to a normal colour compared to the feverish red it was minutes before. His eyes lightened, and his muscles relaxed under the tanned man's hold.

 

"We can't have that, can we Takicchi?" His voice was strained and obviously faking humour.

 

With a tired voice the model also grumbled, "I'm okay now. You can get off me, Aominecchi."

 

He was hesitant, and shifted uncomfortably.

 

"The asshole's long gone. I won't do anything. What? Do you enjoy sitting on me?"

 

Kise joked wearily, and Aomine got up from embarrassment.

 

"Takicchi," the man whispered, and she ran into his open arms.

 

She embraced him desperately, and Kise held her, afraid to let go as if she'd disappear like a dream.

 

"You're okay, really okay?"

 

"Mm," she agreed, face buried in his hair.

 

"You can cry, you know."

 

The child shook her head aggressively, "Taki won't cry. Taki needs to be strong for papa."

 

"It should be the other way around. You're spoiling me," he murmured into her tiny shoulders.

 

"It's okay to be spoiled once in awhile," she whispered back.

 

Awkwardly, Aomine extended a hand, to which Kise grabbed hold of. With a tug, the tanned man helped the blonde to his feet.

 

Still snuggling with the young girl, Kise's eyes widened with worry when his eyes set on Aomine, "Aominecchi, you're bleeding."

 

"This?" he shrugged, "It's nothing. I'll live."

 

Creases appeared across Kise's forehead and the model grabbed hold of his hand.

 

"You are definitely not fine. Come, we need to get you to a first aid station. I'm sure the zoo has one."

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

"Ouch!" Aomine yelped in pain, "Be more gentle!"

 

"Man up," Kise frowned, but tried to use less force than before.

 

After he had calmed down, the blonde had frantically towed the basketball player to the front gates. Panicking, he had ran past all of the customers who waited in line, cutting them and earning their complaints. In a frenzy, he had demanded they let the three of them in, and yelled at the cashier when they asked for payment. Eventually, the manager had come out and Kise had babbled a barely eligible tale. Unable to take it anymore, Aomine had stepped in, paid for their tickets and set the manager straight. Finally understanding the situation, the manager had been kind enough to call a guard to escort them and explained to the grumbling patrons behind that it was an emergency.

 

Shamed of being so useless, Kise sat sulking while he treated the other man, highly conscious of the injuries he had sustained.

 

"It must hurt," he muttered, as he covered a scratch with a wide bandage.

 

"It's nothing."

 

Kise could feel the tears well up, and he wiped them away with his arm.

 

"Thank you," he whimpered, "Thank you for saving her, and thank you for coming back alive."

 

Aomine stared at him, and Kise felt suddenly flustered. He whipped his head away.

 

"Stop looking so sad," a hand grabbed hold of his own, "I'm fine. Who do you think I am?"

 

Turning back to face Aomine, he couldn't help but feel his face heat up.

 

_Wow,_ he thought, _our faces are so close._

Less than an inch away, their noses just barely touched. The blonde felt his chest tighten each time the other exhaled, moist warm breaths embracing his dry lips. So much, he wanted to lick his lips and lean in further...

 

"Kise," the tanned man raised a hand and touched his face, and Kise recoiled.

 

"Oh, um," he started flailing his arms wildly, "I-I'll go and return the kit! Takicchi, take care of him for me."

 

Aomine watched as he walked away in a hurry.

 

"What were you two doing?"

 

The blonde girl leaned over and climbed into his lap. He almost had forgotten that she was there.

 

"Nothing," he sighed.

 

Her eyes implied that she didn't believe that for a second, but chose wisely to not  question him anymore. Nestling herself down, she rested her head against his chest and closed her eyes.

_So this was her idea of "taking care of me,"_ he thought. Not that he minded. She was warm – really warm and Aomine thought to himself that this was probably why Kise loved hugging her so much. So soft, so warm and she smelled so sweet. He's embraced many women before, ever since his youth, but only she comforted him, even more than painkillers. No perfume or any other strong scents. She smelled of soap and shampoo.

 

Breaking his train of thought, two attractive young women approached the pair.

 

"Excuse me?"

 

"What?" he asked, tired.

 

"Are you two the ones who barely avoided getting run over?"

 

"I guess."

 

He wished they'd just hurry and go away.

 

"Oh my gosh!" the two girls – definitely too young for him – exchanged excited looks and squealed. Aomine resisted the notion to plug his ears. Taki, however, did so anyways unafraid of appearing rude, but they didn't seem to notice.

 

"That was like, so heroic!" Girl A shrieked.

 

"I love courageous guys like you," the other gushed.

 

He looked at them uninterestedly, but that didn't seem to discourage them.

 

"Is she your daughter? She's so cute!"

 

"Aws, like, she's got your eyes!"

 

"Like totally," her friend giggled, "Her cheeks look so soft!"

 

Both of them reached to pinch Taki's face – who in turn spun away, hiding herself with Aomine's shirt – and fawned over the two.

 

Aomine brushed them off coldly, "Sorry. My 'daughter's' a little tired right now. Could you leave us alone?"

 

"I'm good with kids though," one of them (he forgot who was and A and who was B at this point) desperately bragged, "Let me hold her for awhile!"

 

She started tugging at the child who tightened her grip on the man's shirt.

 

"Come here, cutie pie," the girl ushered, "Let go of your daddy and come here!"

 

With a stern hand, he pushed her hands off of the uncomfortable child, "I said, could you go?"

 

His eyes bore right into them, and it made them back off.

 

"Oh, sorry," they sputtered, before running away.

 

"He's got a pretty good face but he's scary!" he heard one of them whine.

 

"It's too bad, I mean, look at that hot body!"

 

_Like I'd be interested in you kids. If you're going to hit on me, at least have E-cups._

"They're gone," he whispered, down towards Taki and felt her loosen her hold.

 

"You're not Taki's daddy," she whispered back.

 

It stung a bit, but he tried to brush it off nonchalantly, "Yeah, I know, sorry."

 

"I wish you were."

 

"What?"

 

She looked at him with longing eyes, and he figured that indeed, he had heard her straight. Uncomfortable and incapable of dealing with the strange atmosphere, he decided to joke with her so that the regular, rude and obnoxious girl would return.

 

"What, not satisfied with your current one?"

 

"No," she lightly punched his chin upwards, "Don't be silly, Ahomine."

 

Although the girl acted like she usually would, her tone was still quiet and serious.

 

"Then you want two dads?" He was kidding, but her eyes didn't change.

 

Unamused, she nodded.

 

Ruffling with her hair he raised an eyebrow, "Shouldn't you be wishing for a mom instead?"

 

Cursing himself for his lack of tact, he regretted saying that a little too late. Thankfully, she didn't seem affected by the thought of her missing mother (who was actually Kise, but he doubt she knew).

 

"Papa doesn't need another woman in his life, he only needs me," she said.

 

Aomine, for a second, thought that it was possessiveness that led her to say that. Before he could talk to her about that though, she carried on.

 

"Papa is a man, so he protects Taki when things get rough. But Papa can also be weak and vulnerable at times. Taki used to think that Taki could protect papa only if she was older."

 

"I think you do well even now," he tried to cheer her up sheepishly.

 

She shook her head forlornly, "No, I can't do anything, and probably never can.  No woman can shelter him and give him the security papa needs – _deserves_.

 

Lowering her voice, she said, earnestly, "Sometimes I wish I was you, even though you're just an Ahomine."

 

"Me?"

 

"Yeah. Although stupid, you're big and strong. Papa needs someone big and strong to protect him because I can't."

 

"You're awfully grown up about this. Here I thought you just didn't want to share the spot light with another girl."

 

"I'm not a grown up. If I was, papa wouldn't have to cry. I would have been able to shield him all of those times, so he wouldn't need to fake a smile and then shed tears all alone in his room."

 

She smiled sadly, looking so alike to Kise that it made his heart ache, "Remember that time you hurt papa? If I was grown up, I could have protected him then."

 

Never, did this young child cease to amaze him. Sometimes, she'd act like a child. Then she'd act like a child but display talent that would brand her as a prodigy. Out of the blue, she'd display maturity beyond her years, as she was doing now. On the outside, it would seem amazing, but for some reason it made his heart hurt.

 

_Ah, that's right._

 

Maturity didn't always have to do with personality – knowing Kise and himself, there's no way she would have inherited that trait from them – and in her case, it definitely wasn't a matte of nature. Her high mental development was due to her circumstance. She didn't grow up because she wanted to, but because she had to.

 

"Sorry," he murmured.

 

"It's okay. How would you have known..."

 

_If only you knew..._

"Taki, actually I'm – "

 

"Time to go, Ahomine," she stopped him mid-sentence and hopped down to the ground, "Papa will be back in ten seconds."

 

"Huh? What are you..."

 

"Takicchi! Aominecchi!"

 

From around the corner, Kise waved to them juggling three cones.

 

He gave her a look, asking her how she knew.

 

She smirked and ignored him as if to say "I'm still his number one."

 

"Ice cream!" Taki suddenly switched back to "Daddy's little girl" mode so quickly that it made the man jump. She ran towards her papa but under her breath muttered, "Don't tell papa about what I said."

 

"Yeah, yeah," he muttered as he accepted the vanilla ice cream Kise handed him.

 

Observing the other two, he watched as Taki happily received her own chocolate cone. After, she whispered something about needed to tell Kise a secret and the model brought his face to match her height. Giggling, she pecked him on the cheek, making his whole pale face glow.

 

_So she can be cute after all._

A mischievous thought popped up and with a sly grin, he snuck up behind Kise who was now smothering the girl with kisses lovingly. Wrapping his arms around the other man's shoulders, he leaned forward and took a bite of her chocolate treat.

 

"Consider that payment," he smirked.

 

"You..." she looked at her ice cream and then at him and then back, trying to convince herself that it was just a dream. When she realize it wasn't she burst, "You Ahomine!"

 

Squirming against a flustered Kise's arms, eventually she was let down. Face red, she pounded his leg with her free hand and jumped to try and eat his. Meanly, he lowered his cone, just low enough for her to almost reach – and then brought it up quickly so that she'd have no chance of getting it.

 

"That's so not fair!" she complained, "Your height is a cheat!"

 

Aomine snorted, "It's not a game, you idiot."

 

She growled at him.

 

"Hey, look. It's a wild tiger cub. I think we'll need to contact the zoo keepers and put you in a cage."

 

"Roar," she imitated the call of one which made Kise laugh.

 

"Papa," she pouted.

 

"Forgive me, Takicchi. But you were so cute," he winked.

 

The compliment perked her up and she smiled. Aomine pinched her cheeks and grinned evilly, "Don't get a big head. You weren't that cute."

 

She stuck her tongue out, "Weren't that cute? So you admit that I am cute!"

 

"Don't put words in my mouth!"

 

"Lalalalala! I can't hear you!"

 

"You brat!"

 

"A brat shouldn't call someone else a brat!" She sang.

 

"Don't copy me!"

 

"You got what you deserved," Kise chimed in, "Takicchi learns really quickly."

 

"Hmph, just like you," he said, "You had a really annoying copying ability."

 

"You remember?"

 

"How could I not?"

 

Kise felt the blush creep in again and changed the subject, "L-let's go see the animals, before it gets dark."

 

To the girl, the model asked, "Where should we go first?"

 

"Let's see the reptiles."

 

"Eh? Takicchi?"

 

She denied it, "No, I didn't say anything."

 

Both of the blondes turned to see Aomine open and close his mouth again, "I said, let's go see the reptiles."

 

"...I heard nothing, did you papa?"

 

"Eh? Oh... no..."

 

"Hey, hey, hey! Don't ignore me!"

 

"Let's go papa, nothing to see here..."

 

"Hey – get back here!"

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

"I hate you, Ahomine."

 

"Geez, are you still sulking? How would I have known that you were such a scaredy cat?"

 

"I-I'm not!" she corrected him, hiding her embarrassment by slamming her head into his shoulder.

 

"Man, that hurt. You've got a head for a rock?"

 

"Haha, very funny!" Taki responded, sarcastically.

 

Evening had come and the sun was setting, casting dark shadows and a chilly wind. Even after all of the fiascos during the afternoon, the three of them were able to see some of the animals. First, they had visited the reptile pavilion, much to Taki's disapproval. Surprisingly, she was afraid of snakes and almost cried when Aomine made Kise hold one during a presentation done by the snake keeper. The girl had yelled that her "papa would be eaten," and nearly fainted when the tanned man brought her face to face with it.

 

"Come on, we went to see all of your favourites afterwards."

 

"... The otters were cute," she admitted reluctantly.

 

"They were, so stop pouting. You won't be popular with guys if you do."

 

"No one asked you, idiot!"

 

Kise smiled at their interaction and thought that they really seemed like father and daughter. They quarrelled and at first, that unnerved the man. Now, he could see that it was just their way of getting along. A warm feeling spread within him and he couldn't help but wish this moment would last forever.

 

Forever was short though, as the trio found themselves boarding the train back home. Since it was late, past rush hour, the cars were empty save for one or two couples. Together, they found empty seats near the end of the train car, blocked by a divider so others couldn't see them. The ride was long, and soon Kise felt his eyes getting heavy. Shaking his head, he tried to shake the sleep out of him. Maybe a conversation would keep him awake.

 

"Takicchi, Aomine – "

 

In front of him, the larger man was snoring with his arms and legs crossed, head back against the seat. Their daughter was in deep sleep, head resting against Aomine, with the latter's jacket wrapped around her for warmth.

 

The announcer stated the next stop, which Kise recognized as the one before theirs. Standing up, he put a hand on the other man and tried to wake him.

 

"Aominecchi, wake up. We have to get off soon."

 

The blue haired man grumbled, "A little longer, Kise."

 

His face was so peaceful, so handsome. The model felt all of the old emotions swell up. Leaning in, he closed his eyes and tilted his head, kissing Aomine with a deep desire. He forced open the sleeping man's mouth and felt their tongues entwine. Pulling away, he opened his eyes, and found dark blue eyes right in front of his own amber ones.

 

"Kise?"

 

His blood grew cold and he felt frozen as ice.

 

"What did you just...?" Aomine touched his lips, still half asleep.

 

"Oh," the tanned man paused, and looked up at him with eyes that showed him slowly understanding, "Did you just ki – "

 

"Ahahahahahahaha!" Kise laughed awkwardly and scooped up the still sleeping child, "L-look at that! It's my stop! I've got to go. Thanks for today Aominecchi. See you next time, hahahaha."

 

The automatic doors opened and Kise ran out. Confused, Aomine sat there and only got up when he heard the warning chime. Bolting out of his seat, he ran to exit but the doors slammed shut, and he smacked face first into them. With his face smashed against the glass, he could make out the blonde running towards the stairs, face hidden behind the body of the slumbering child. Giving up, he sat back down his seat and touched his lips once more.

 

_It was warm,_ he thought, _his lips were wet and warm._

_And they were pressed against mine._

Covering his mouth with one of his large, tanned hands, he felt the familiar heat rush to the back of his neck and the tips of his ears.

 

_He just kissed me, right?_

He pinched his biceps.

 

_Nope, not dreaming._

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Their first "date" in five years and all of that happens! Haha. Kise took the initiative for that this time. I actually don't have much to say about this chapter so I'll just end it here. Right, please excuse me if this chapter has more grammar or spelling mistakes or whatnot. I didn't have much time to re-proofread it and I wanted to release today >///


	9. I Really, Really Love You

_"A-Aominecchi! Hi, um, well, y-you're here for Takicchi, right? Here, take her! Me? Oh, no, I've got um, a job. The work schedules for a model are hectic, you know? You two have fun now..."_

 

...Or so Kise had said while laughing away nervously before bolting out the door, leaving the pro to lock up a house that wasn't even his. Eye twitching, Aomine slammed the door shut and grunted. So much or any progress he thought he had made. Thinking back to the previous week, he tenderly touched his lips, heart fluttering when he remembered the surprise kiss the blonde had planted on him. He had been happy and excited – so eager to push ahead at maximum speed... but as a result Kise has withdrawn from him. Adding up all the ignored texts and phone calls in his head, Aomine felt disappointed as he realized that he seemed like a stalker more than anything else.

 

Hanging his head low, he took a seat on the top step of the porch and crossed his arms over his legs. A gentle force probed between his arms though, creating a crack between them which allowed blindingly bright sunshine to filter through.

 

"Leave me alone, brat."

 

Blue eyes stared at him in discontent, "When are we going to get going? Papa said you'd take me somewhere super fun."

 

"Your papa lied."

 

Taki narrowed her eyes and twisted her lips in disbelief, "What do you even come here for?"

 

"Who knows."

 

She crossed her arms and started tapping her right foot impatiently, "You definitely don't come to play with Taki. No matter what papa says, Taki knows better."

 

"Right, 'cause you're such a genius."

Scowling, she hopped down the steps, away from him.

 

Focusing back on his thoughts, he wondered about his life. What was he doing wrong? It was as if he took one step forward and three steps back. At this rate, what will he be able to accomplish in his remaining weeks? Okay, he didn't seriously think that he'd bring the girl with him. Rather, he didn't really even _have_ a goal, nor, did he even know exactly what he wanted out of this. Everything he's done so far was impulsive, simply because he had wanted to be around the blonde – to go back to how they were before.

 

_Go back, huh..._

 

Too much thinking and yet still not getting anymore irritated him. Resigning, he looked up, searching for the little blonde. At the very least, chasing after her could relieve his mind from the agonizing process of ruminating. Shielding his eyes from the relentless sunlight, he discovered the girl crouching near a patch of soil, poking intently at something with a stick she had found laying around.

 

"What are you doing?"

 

"Having fun," she sulked, cheeks puffing out unhappily.

 

"That's fun?" He started to poke her, which made the child slap his hand away.

 

"More fun than hanging out with you."

 

"What a tomboy," he sighed, "Wouldn't you rather go play dress-up or whatever other girls your age play?"

 

"Shut up, you Ahomine. What I do for fun is none of your business. Besides, why do I have to do what other people do? I'm not them."

 

 _Touché,_ he thought.

 

Feeling some guilt, he stood up and picked her up – her little feet dangling in the air.

 

"Let go of me, you big old perv!" she squiggled around and whined.

 

"Fine. Just drop that stick and follow me. Time to go."

 

Her frown instantly turned upside down and he let go. Adjusting her little sun hat, she beamed at him, "Where are we going?"

 

Grimacing from the innocence of her expectant eyes, he said apathetically, "Wherever you want to go, I don't know."

 

If his lack of enthusiasm affected the spirit of the young girl, she didn't show it. Excitedly, she clasped both of her pale hands over one of his large ones and tugged him.

 

"The park! Come on, Ahomine, let's go play at the park!"

 

"Well, you're surprisingly easy to please," he remarked, but followed her lead, "If you grow up like this, your future boyfriend will have an easy time."

 

The two of them walked in the warm sunlight. Taki was humming to a unfamiliar song and skipping. Despite the roaring of the cars and the miscellaneous sounds from the animals, Aomine couldn't get his mind off of the tune the child was making. It was so catchy, and his curiosity got the best of him.

 

"What is that song anyways?"

 

"What song?"

 

"The one you've been humming for the past minute."

 

She smiled at him, "Oh! It's Papa's song. He wrote it!"

 

"Kise?" The blue haired man furrowed his brow. He's never seen the other man as a lyrical person.

 

"You want me to sing it? Taki can sing really well!"

 

"Uh, no. It's oka – "

 

Too late.

 

"K.I.S.E Shalala~!"

 

"The hell?" Aomine stopped her, "What the hell is shalala?"

 

"Shalala is shalala, don't be a dumbie!" she pouted, "Now, let me continue."

 

"No, no... it's okay."

 

Stubbornly, she ignored his protests and continued singing.

 

_Ah, damn it. Why does the park feel further than ever before...?_

* * *

 

 

"Kurokocchi! Kurokocchi!" Kise shook the smaller man's shoulders frantically, much to the other man's displeasure, "Takicchi is singing! Isn't she wonderful?"

 

"What would be wonderful is if you'd stop shaking me, Kise-kun."

 

"Hmm? Oh, right. Sorry!"

 

"Rather," a eerie voice popped up and the model turned to see a pissed off Akashi, "What are you doing, calling us here to stalk Daiki?"

 

"S-stalking? It's more like chaperoning..." Kise squirmed, guiltily.

 

"Why don't you go chaperone up there, with them? Instead of hiding behind while watching them."

 

"It's extremely creepy, Kise-kun. What would Taki-san say if she found out her papa was this disturbing?"

 

Akashi smirked, "Probably something along the lines as 'I don't want to put my laundry with dad's anymore,' or 'Stop talking to me in public dad! You're gross!"

 

"Noooo," the blonde man cried, "Don't say anymore!"

 

Disregarding the man's outbursts, although he would have loved to tease the man more, Kuroko asked, "Did something happen when you went out with Aomine-kun?"

 

Kise-kun pulled up his thin scarf to hide the faint blush that was appearing on his cheeks.

 

"Not really..."

 

The red-head yanked the accessory off and said, "Ryouta, are you trying to lie? In my presence?"

 

"I'm sorry!" he shouted, before remembering that they were supposed to be stealthy. Immediately, he covered his mouth, ducked down and scanned the area to make sure neither of their targets had heard him.

 

"Well?" Akashi looked down with his threatening eyes.

 

"I kissed him."

 

"So?"

 

"H-how can you act so indifferently!" he flailed his arms in embarrassment, "It's a big deal for me..."

 

"Ryouta, you went way further with Daiki back in the day," Akashi said plainly.

 

"To the point of being annoying," Kuroko added, "I remember that time when we all had to leave the locker room because Aomine-kun started – "

 

"Gyaaah!" Kise screamed, red from the memory.

 

Akashi slapped a hand over Kise's mouth and pushed him down as they saw Aomine turn around.

 

Thankfully, being the idiot he was, he forgot quickly about it and entered the park with the little girl.

 

"Ryouta, you're such a fool."

 

"It's all because of Kurokocchi," he whined, "Don't bring up stuff like that!"

 

"You shouldn't blame others for your own stupidity, Kise-kun."

 

"So mean."

 

His amber eyes were cast down and he murmured to himself.

 

"Hmm? What was that, Ryouta?"

 

A sad shadow flickered behind his eyes. "Is this really all right?"

 

"Is what all right?"

 

"After all I've done, after all of the hurt I caused him...Aominecchi still says that he doesn't hate me. Even all of this time, he still chases after me, no matter how hard I try to withdraw. Somehow, I can't help but get greedy and I feel myself slipping into his kind eyes. Is it really all right?"

 

"Would you have felt better if he did hate you?" Akashi said in a low voice.

 

"Maybe," Kise thought about it for a moment, "If he got angry, maybe I wouldn't feel this guilty."

 

Smacking the model on his forehead, Kuroko sighed, "Kise-kun is stupid and a coward."

 

"That hurts, Kurokocchi," he whined as he rubbed the reddening marks.

 

"Tetsuya is correct, though. What you're doing now – isn't it running away?"

 

Kise flinched, "Then what am I supposed to do? Letting him sweep me off my feet again? ... Wouldn't that just me taking advantage of him? I hurt him so much, for so long, am I even allowed to be happy?"

 

Kuroko raised a hand and Kise flinch, just as the smaller man patted him, "I suppose we can add selfish to the list."

 

The blonde opened his mouth to ask about that but was cut off, "Chasing after you is something Aomine-kun chose to do himself. Wouldn't that mean that loving you again is what will make him happy? You've only been thinking about yourself, and how it'd make you look. If you really treasure him, why don't you suck it up and play the part of the villain? Or, do are your feelings so shallow that you care more about your image?"

 

Kise let the words sink in and thought about them long and hard. Was the blue haired man right? Was he choosing the easy way out – the path with less pain? Perhaps he's been trying to run away after all, away from the guilt.

 

"So, Ryouta? Your answer."

 

Kise pulled his scarf up, despite the heat and closed his eyes, thinking long and hard.

 

"I'm still not convinced that I should be allowed to love again... and I'm unsure of whether or not we can still work. We're both grown men with jobs and a child to boot. I can't act anymore selfish... but I love him. I love Aominecchi so much it hurts."

 

"Good. All we needed to hear."

 

"What – hey!"

 

In a stealthy movement, Akashi had pulled Kise up and on his feet and was now dragging the man towards the park.

 

"Akashicchi! What are you doing?"

 

"You love him, so you're ready to turn around and meet him halfway, right?"

 

"It's too soon, Akashicchi," he panicked, "I'm not ready yet."

 

With a firm kick, the former captain smiled, "It's never too soon."

 

Kise landed face first onto warm sand, and had to cough the particles of rock out. Pushing his body up to sit upright, he felt the sun's ray disappear momentarily, and rubbed his eyes. Opening them he saw a familiar body blocking the sun.

 

"Akashi?" a deep voice called out, "and Kise – wait, didn't you say you had a job to go to?"

 

"It's been cancelled, right, Ryouta?"

 

"Um yeah..." Kise couldn't keep his eyes off the hulking man before him.

 

"Well then, he's all yours, Daiki."

 

"Akashicchi!"

 

"Hey, it's papa!"

 

Kise was panicking as Taki ran into his arms, and couldn't even open his mouth to holler out as Akashi left, leaving the man to stare awkwardly at Aomine.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Kise sat alone on the swing, swaying lightly along with the wind alone. From across the playground, he watched as Taki laughed in delight while Aomine pushed her up high. He'd have loved to join them, but wasn't sure of what to do. To the sadistic couple, he had said that he loved the other man too... and also agreed with Kuroko that he was just running away, but what should he do in this situation? The atmosphere was so awkward and he didn't know how to interact normally with the tanned man. If only heaven could give him a sign...

 

**Thonk.**

"Ouch!"

 

Something fairly hard smacked against Kise's head.

 

"Oi, Kise, you okay?"

 

Aomine and Taki came running towards him, wearing matching worried expressions.

 

"Yeah," he opened his eyes and peered down. Something round, rubber and orange was in his hands.

 

Tanned arms appeared before his eyes and scooped the ball away, "A basketball?"

 

A group of teenage boys ran towards them, bowing their heads low, "Hey! Sorry, but could you give that back?"

 

"Geez, watch where you throw this thing," Aomine scolded.

 

"We are very sorry!"

 

The pro sighed and tossed the ball back. Together, they watched as the group of friends ran back.

 

"You sure you're okay?" Gently, the man rubbed the model's head, searching for bumps. Kise moved quickly away and mumbled, "Y-yeah."

 

"Basketball, huh?" Aomine cracked his neck, "I haven't been able to play a decent game since I came back."

 

Taki glared at him, "Excuse me! You play against me every day!"

 

"Yeah," he scoffed, "You don't count as a 'decent' game."

 

"Why? I'm good," she pouted, "Right papa?"

 

Ruffling her soft, long hair, he absentmindedly nodded, "Yeah."

 

"You're not being very convoncing..." she sulked.

 

"Sorry, Takicchi."

 

Upset, she moved away, "Papa should play Ahomine then. Teach him a lesson."

 

"I don't think so, Takicchi," he smiled, "Papa isn't in the proper clothes... and we don't have a ball."

 

"We can go home first."

 

"He's just afraid he'll lose." It just naturally slipped out of Aomine's mouth.

 

"What'd you say, idiot?" The fire was lit in her eyes, "He'll crush you!"

 

She turned to Kise, and with eyes that no one could refuse said, "Papa. You can win, right? _Right?_ "

 

He shifted his eyes away, "Y-yeah..."

 

_Ah, I should've just said no..._

Twenty minutes and a lot of dreading later, Kise stood in his baggy t-shirt and basketball shorts, bent over to tie his shoelaces. It was a nostalgic feeling, being in those clothes and having warmed up. Unlike the tanned pro in front of him who was spinning his basketball, the model hadn't played seriously for several years, since his freshman days at Kaijo. Juggling a job and child didn't leave him with much free time.

 

"Ready, Kise?" Aomine began bouncing the ball, sending a declaration of war.

 

"As ready as I'll ever be," he said sheepishly.

 

Lowering his stance, his muscles remembered the familiar feeling of basketball. Focusing on the man before him, he watched his every move. _Bounce, bounce, bounce –_

 

Swiftly, the pro moved, dribbling the ball with him as he made quick turns to get past Kise's defence which, honestly, was pretty low quality. Watching powerlessly, the blonde froze while the tanned man ran past him and performed a fade-away.

 

"You've gotten better," he smiled, in awe – his old flame for basketball reigniting.

 

"Obviously," Aomine picked up the ball and passed it to the model, snorting, "You've gotten worst – way worst."

 

Catching the basketball, his eye twitched, "No need to point out the obvious."

 

Their game continued, back and forth although Kise played rather poorly. Point after point Aomine scored. Kise made a couple basket's himself, but found it difficult to get past the pro player. Aomine was faster, stronger and overall so much better. Far too soon, the game had ended.

 

"Papa..." Taki sat wide-eyed with blatant disappointment painted on her face.

 

Huffing, Kise tried to ignore the wound on his pride.

 

"Huh," the basketball pro wasn't even out of breath, or sweating for the matter, "Is this all you amount to? What a let down."

 

"S-shut up Ahomine! Papa is just warming up..."

 

Kise looked surprised at his daughter's outburst and sighed. There was no way he could end this while looking so uncool.

 

"Hey, Aominecchi?"

 

"What?"

 

"One more time."

 

The three words brought years of memories back and Aomine smirked.

 

"Bring it."

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

Replacing the warm sun was the softly glowing moon and twinkling stars. Although the day had been warm, the breeze had become more chilly than cold. Laying on the court's pavement, Kise breathed heavily, in unison with the other man.

 

"You really improve quickly," Aomine huffed.

 

Kise smiled, "I was just regaining the skills that had gotten rusty."

 

"Still," the other man sighed exasperatedly, "No one should be able to get better at the rate you went."

 

Turning onto his side, Kise laughed, "I still couldn't beat you though."

 

"Even before I left, you've never beaten me. How could you have expected to won this time?"

 

"Oooh, don't remind me! Brings me back to our second year at Teiko. I always played with all my might but couldn't even score a point off of you."

 

Aomine grunted, "Back then, you were even worst than now. I couldn't even call what you played basketball."

 

"Haha, that's so mean, Aomiecchi."

 

His chime-like laugh faded into the silence of the night, and Kise could hear the other man sit up. Following his lead, Kise tried standing up, although faltering a little on his tired legs. A strong arm grabbed hold of him and steadied the model.

 

"Thanks," he murmured.

 

Aomine turned his face away, "Don't mention it."

 

Together, the two men walked over to the tree where the blonde child slept peacefully, wrapped in Aomine's sweater. The pro passed the ball he carried and reached down to carry the girl.

 

"Allow me," Kise quickly said, "I can carry Takicchi."

 

"And what will you do if you collapse? You're in no shape to bear anymore weight other than your own."

 

The blonde hated to admit it, but he was right. His entire body ached and he was ready to crash onto his soft bed. Obediently, he walked side by side to Aomine – slightly leaning on the man – who princess-carried Taki all the way home. Reaching the metal gate, the tanned man continued holding the girl and so Kise led him upstairs where both of them tucked her in.

 

Stepping out of the room, Kise whispered, "Would you like anything to drink or eat?"

 

Aomine shook his head, "Nah, I'll return to my hotel room."

 

"Let me walk you out."

 

Silently, both of them made their way out the front door and to the gate.

 

Stopping there, Aomine said his goodbye.

 

"Ah –wait," Kise pulled on the pro's t-shirt.

 

"You need something?"

 

"Yes – I mean no," he inhaled deeply, "I just wanted to thank you."

 

"For what?"

 

"Thanks for taking us to the zoo the other day. Thank you for playing one-on-ones with me today. And," he hesitated, "Thank you for not hating me."

 

"Anything else?"

 

Kise felt his heart flutter, and he debated whether or not to tell the man the last thing on his mind. He stood still for awhile, not moving and wondered if the man would walk away. Aomine stood still however, patiently waiting.

 

"Lastly," he murmured, lowering his already quiet voice into a whisper, "I missed you. Thank you for coming back."

 

Kise didn't immediately hear a response, and he checked his grip on the man's shirt, afraid that maybe he had disappeared. When he was sure that the pro was still present, he looked up.

 

"Do you remember that day we played basketball until it rained?"

 

Kise searched his memory and found it, "The one where we ran back here and then I.. ah.. ki...kissed... you."

 

He felt the butterflies in his stomach return and his face heated up.

 

"Yeah," the man's face relaxed and came closer to Kise's, "I could never forget that kiss."

 

Putting his palms against the other man's chest, the blonde tried to turn away, but warm hands held his face.

 

"Can you hear it?"

 

Through his hands, Kise could feel the reverberating thump of Aomine's heart, "It's fast..."

 

"Only when I'm with you."

 

Strong lips kissed him tenderly, as if he was something precious and easily broken. Kise bathed in the sweetness of the moment and felt the warmth spread down his body, his body reacted involuntarily. It was such a familiar sensation – so normal and natural, even if they haven't kissed like this in years. It made him feel so irrational and happy that when Aomine pulled away, Kise felt disappointingly cold.

 

Blank-minded from the head-spinning inducing kiss, the blonde only returned to a normal state of mind when the frosty wind grew stronger. Shivering, he said "I've got to go, Aominecchi," he murmured.

 

"Not yet. Let me talk."

 

"Aominecchi, I'm cold."

 

"Then I'll warm you up."

 

With his strong arms, Aomine held the other man's body close, so that Kise's back was firmly pressed against his own chest. Those long, tanned arms of him wrapped around the model's thinner body and he nuzzled his neck against his neck.

 

"I still love you, and I still want you," Aomine exhaled, warm breath tickling Kise's cheek, "You can push me away if you don't want me."

 

 _Push him, Kise, push him._ But he didn;t.

 

"I want to hold you, to kiss you, to make love to you until the morning light. You can tell me to not."

 

_Tell him, Kise. You know better._

Tilting the blonde's head to meet his lips, Aomine kissed him lightly, "Do you want me to stop?"

 

_Say yes, Kise. Just say it._

Those eyes poured into him, ensnaring him. Deeper than any ocean, he found himself drowning in those dark blue irises. All of the barely suppressible feelings he held began overfilling, and flooded out of him. Heart aching, will wavering, his lips trembled as he tried to speak. With glazed eyes, he mumbled, "No."

 

Shaking his head, regaining his voice, he continued, "No, I don't want you to stop. I want you to hold me, to touch me, to kiss me. I want you to shove me onto my bed and do all sorts of things to me all night long. I want you to hold me until we're old and wrinkly, and not let go of me even then. I never want to have to say goodbye again, not even for a moment. I know it's selfish but..."

 

He paused, trying hard to not let his voice crack, "You're just _too_ unfair, Aominecchi. Why did you have to come back? Since I saw you on the courts that day, I dreamed about you every night. I knew I shouldn't have, I knew that I didn't deserve to, but I just couldn't help myself. I thought about you, about your eyes, your voice, your touch – I don't even know how I could live without you. I don't know how I _lived_ without you."

 

Silently tipping over the edges of his golden eyes, warm tears fell slowly, staining his red cheeks. Watching the blonde, Aomine released his grip on the man before spinning him around so he could embrace him face-to-face. With a tender expression, Aomine kissed him again, gently and lovingly like that day, so many years ago. This time, Kise didn't resist at all and returned the other man's passion with his own. Letting himself sink in the stability and love of the blue-haired man, the blonde wrapped his arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. In response, Aomine tightened his arms around the model's waist, keeping him tight against his own body to the point that Kise was nearly suffocating.

 

"I love you, Kise."

 

His deep voice whispered sweet words into his ears, and Kise felt his armour being chipped away continuously. Impossible – yes, it was absolutely impossible, for him not to drop his guard and let the other man bare him (both metaphorically and literally) as their kisses drew deeper. Even in the cold wind, their skin flamed with heat, igniting the night. Each touch, each kiss, each breath – they all expressed the unfathomable amount of pent-up emotions both men had kept inside. Words would have cheapened the moment, and they telepathically knew that. They let their bodies speak, and melded on the king-size bed that night. All of the loneliness and pain of the last five years was bled out, exposed raw in the heat of their love.

 

Breathing heavily and deeply, their sweat glistened in the midnight moon as they collapsed into each other's arms. Kise's body ached, his mind tired and weary too, but he could not name a moment where he felt happier than this. Climbing on top of the tanned man, he leaned his face down so their foreheads touched.

 

"You're crying again," the larger man whispered, tongue outstretching to lick the single drop.

 

The other man shook his head and cradled Aomine's head, "I'm happy."

 

Stroking his face, the tanned man then pulled him down onto his chest and inhaled the sweet smell of his.

 

"Goddammit Kise, I..."

 

With the softest touch, Kise kissed him lightly, subtly silencing him. His eyes glowed in the faint moonlight and shimmered. "It's my turn."

 

Never breaking eye contact, the blonde's pale hand reached for Aomine's, clasping it tightly. Bringing their entwined fingers up to his mouth, Kise kissed each one.

 

"Thank you for the memories," he murmured after kissing the man's pinkie.

 

"Thank you for loving me."

 

"Thank you for coming back."

 

"Thank you for forgiving me."

 

"And," he paused before kissing Aomine's last finger, "Thank you for letting me love you."

 

After this, Kise looked back at the man's face.

 

"Geez, Kise, don't do something so embarrassing," was what he said, but there was no denying the happiness glowing behind his dark eyes.

 

Holding the man's hand to his own pale face, Kise laid his head down against the man's chest, comforted by the synchronized beating of their hearts.

 

"I love you, too, Aominecchi ... I really, _really_ , love you."

 

 

 

 

* * *

**Start of AkaKuro Side Story (Smut)**

"Will it really be okay to leave them along, Akashi-kun?"

 

Akashi looked at his lover and calmly stated, "If I say everything will be fine, it will be. You know that best, Tetsuya."

 

Kuroko still looked worried, and fell deep into thought. Trying to get the other man to lighten up, the red-head asked, "Where should we go for lunch? Would you prefer French, Italian, or a traditional Japanese meal?"

 

Dazed, the smaller man didn't respond.

 

"Tetsuya?"

 

After a couple of attempts, Kuroko still didn't respond. Annoyed, Akashi took a sudden turn which snapped the man's attention back to reality as his head slammed into the window.

 

"Aren't we going to eat, Akashi-kun? This is the opposite direction of your favourite places."

 

Serenely, he said, "Eating can wait. We'll take a detour."

 

Unable to take his mind off of Kise's situation, Kuroko paid no heed to the road and mindlessly rubbed his head. Hopefully, there wouldn't be a bump later.

 

The situation between Kise and Aomine caused his to fret, as it was so fragile and unstable. Kuroko worried that at any given moment, it'd just collapse. He recounted sadly of the day Aomine left for America, and how torn both of them were. According to Kagami, the aspiring pro skipped meals and focused only on basketball to elevate his hurt. As for the model, Kuroko had seen first-hand the toll child-bearing had on the man. If the pain of losing his lover wasn't already enough, the poor boy had to deal with hormones, and the symptoms all by himself. Kise had nearly given up on several different occasions... he had almost reached his limit and broken down. When things got too much, it was Kuroko who watched as the blonde man cried his heart out – something that the rest of the world almost never saw. Although he had received support, Kuroko remembered of the criticism the man had gotten from a certain someone as well...

 

"We're here," Akashi's voice rang out suddenly.

 

Distractedly, Kuroko got out of the car and followed the footsteps of his man's. Still ruminating on the past, he collided with Akashi's still back after walking a short distance.

 

"The pent house suite, for today. Put it on my tab."

 

"Thank you very much for your patronage, Akashi-sama. Here is your key."

 

"Key?" finally, the blue haired man returned to his senses and scanned his surroundings. Unknowingly, they had entered a rather posh hotel lobby.

 

"What do we need here, Akashi-kun?"

 

The other man stared blankly at him, and then grabbed his hand, leading the two of them into the elevator.

 

"Akashi-ku – "

 

Akashi stopped him from speaking by pushing his lips onto the smaller man's. Roughly, he stuck his tongue powerfully between Kuroko's slightly parted lips and forced the other's mouth open.

 

"Akashi-kun," he moaned, "Not here..."

 

"I can't hold it in anymore, Tetsuya," his voice made Kuroko melt, and he stumbled backwards, grabbing onto the rail that was attached to the elevator wall for support.

 

"We're in public..."

 

"I don't care," Akashi slid a hand downwards, skilfully unzipping the smaller man's pants. Kuroko tried to push the man's hands away, but to no avail.

 

"Always going on about Ryouta and Daiki – don't get me wrong, I wish for their happiness as well," the red-head murmured, hand slithering down cloth to grab hold of his lover's cock, "What I don't like, is how you keep denying me, Tetsuya. I've been deprived of you for so long."

 

"Nng..." Kuroko squirmed at his touch, heat rising whenever Akashi stroked him. Truth was, he didn't even realize how long it's been since they made love, not until Akashi touched him like this.

 

"That's why today, you'll spend all day with me. I expect both your mind and body to be here," Akashi bit the tip of the other man's ear and grinned as he heard the low groan, "Or else, I'll have to make you."

 

"S-stop, please stop," the blue-haired man moan as he heard the ding of the elevator. The doors opened and a flirting couple started to get on. Akashi pushed Kuroko behind him, shielding him and snarled, "We're busy here. Take the next one," and pushed the button to close the door.

 

"Now there's no need to stop," he murmured, and got on his knees.

 

Panting, the smaller man leaned forward, cock throbbing so hard that he thought he'd topple over.

 

"Tetsuya, you're so hard. Is it my imagination, or does doing this in public excite you even more?"

 

He wanted to deny it, but Akashi was making him feel so good that all that came out was a breathy, suppressed grunt.

 

"So thick," Akashi mused, "you haven't even done it yourself, have you?"

 

"Unn... " the man's voice came out breathily, "What about Akashi-kun?"

 

"There's no pleasure if Tetsuya isn't with me. I can only feel like this when it's you. Can you feel it?"

 

Kuroko groaned and helt his whole body heat up again when he felt the red-head push their hips together. His lover was hard too and so hot.

 

Body sweaty and face flushed, Kuroko could only pant. Akashi chuckled and put the other man's arm around him, half dragging him out.

 

"We're not even in the room yet and you've already came. I suppose I'll need to punish you," he said, seductively as he led them into their room. Slowly the door closed, with the faint noises of moaning coming from inside.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Sorry that this chapter was a little all over the place. Kise finally admitted his feelings ~ :3 Once again, I hope you've enjoyed this chapter, I personally did. It's kind of a transition chapter because we'll be heading into the final arc of the story. 
> 
> Btw, the song Taki was singing is "Shalala Goes On" and is the second character song for Kise... I just really like it okay xD
> 
> Thank you all for waiting so long ~.~
> 
> ALSO! Here's a little side story. It's Akakuro smut, although a pretty short one. I wasn't sure whether to post this separately, but consider it a little something from me to you :D (OTL okay fine... I just really wanted to write it kays xD) 
> 
> It takes place shortly after Kise is shoved by Akashi. Honestly, I've been dying to write it... 
> 
> I hope you've enjoyed this chapter and the side story!


	10. I Am A Dad

"What's got you smiling like a creeper now?"

"Who you calling a creeper, you brat?"

"I don't see any other creepers around but you."

"Come here, I think you need to be taught some respect."

Aomine lunged forward and scooped her up into his tanned arms. The blonde girl squeaked in surprise.

"How should I punish you?" he smiled mischievously.

"I thought you were going to teach me!"

"Haaah, same thing," he said lazily.

"Ugh, you're so dumb. Let me down, you Ahomine. I'm cold up here. "

He raised an eyebrow, "You're only what, six feet higher up. How the heck are you any colder than before?" However, he did as she commanded anyways, "Hurry and start warming up. We've got a big game today."

She gave him "the look." He's seen it enough to recognize it by now. When she stared at him like that, she was thinking that she didn't need him to state the obvious. This made him smirk.  _What a cheeky brat._

Crossing her arms, she stared up at him with puffy cheeks.

Glancing back he asked, "What do you want?"

"I can't play basketball if my hair isn't tied up."

"Then tie it."

The tiny blonde pouted even more, "I can't. Do it for me."

"Geez, what a pain. Don't you usually have your hair already in a pony-tail?"

She glared at him, "That's because papa always did it! But, papa had to go early today so he couldn't do it today, remember?"

 _Oh yeah._ He remembered it clear as day. After a long night, the two men had finally fallen asleep. Shortly after though, Kise's cell phone had awoken them before dawn even broke. Apparently, a top model had just returned to Japan and the blonde's company had wanted to jam in a photo shoot somewhere across the country. So, Kise was rushed out the door, half apologizing and half telling the other man to take care of their baby girl. He wouldn't be back until late that night.

That didn't upset Aomine though, because last night was better than he had ever imagined. Thinking back to Kise's blushing face, the pro felt his heart pound. He could almost relive the moment if he just closed his eyes. The model's pale, soft yet firm body against his… the moonlight reflected in the beads of Kise's sweat and the sound of his sweet voice moaning his name – the blue-haired man could feel the familiar ache and warmth in his lower section return.

"Ew, you're smiling creepily again."

Replacing her father's silky voice was the sound of Taki's own high-pitched voice, which brought Aomine back into reality. Embarrassed, he pinched her cheeks.

"Is that how you talk to someone you want a favour from," he growled.

"Owowow, you ganguro! That hurts!"

Letting go, he smirked, "Where are your manners? Didn't your papa teach you better? Haaah, whatever happened to being respectful to your elders."

"I have manners," she shouted in defense, "Taki is a good girl."

"I don't see them," he grinned wolfishly.

Flustered, she lowered her head and started to fidget. A couple of minutes passed and she looked up several times. Aomine didn't say anything though. This was an opportunity to tease her and he wasn't going to let it pass.

"…lease…"

"What was that?" he shouted loudly, cupping one ear with his hand.

He watched with devilish amusement as her ears reddened.

"Please help me tie my hair," she whispered, barely audible.

"Who are you asking?"

This awarded him a snarl and menacing look, which made him laugh.

"Aomine-sensei."

"Yeah? That's my name. What do you want?"

He was being mean. He knew it. She knew it. Her face turned several shades of red and the little girl clenched her fists together. With a burning fire in her eyes, she inhaled deeply and yelled, "Please help me tie my hair, Ahomine-sensei!"

The whole gym felt silent and turned their eyes onto the scene. Taki was fuming, and ignored their curious stares. Aomine – he could barely contain his mirth.

Hatefully, he chided her in his best "responsible" adult voice, "Of course I will. You need to learn to use your indoor voice though, Taki. Look, you're disturbing practice."

Annoyed, she stomped towards him and slumped down in front of him. Following suite, the man did the same.

"You suck," she hissed.

"What was that?"

"Nothing! I said nothing!"

The blonde girl turned her head away from him and puffed her cheeks out.

He collapsed, holding his abdomen and writhing on the floor.

"Stop laughing at me!" she whined, "Hurry up and make my hair all up and pretty and puffy!"

"Yeah, yeah," he breathed out, in between chuckles. Wiping the tears from his eyes, the pro tried to take deep breaths and calm down, but his hands were still shaking as he reached for the girl's hair.

With his long fingers, he started to gather Taki's hair in one hand. Despite all his bravado earlier… there was just one problem which he realized now – he's never tied a girl's hair before.

Helpless, he clumsily fumbled with the yellow stands he held. Occasionally, he heard the child let out yelps of pain and he had to remind himself to be gentle. After several minutes of clueless, futile attempts, he finally was able to somehow tie it into… something.

"Uh… done..." he murmured.

"It feels funny," Taki complained.

"It looks terrible," a lower voice said dryly.

"Gah! Tetsu. When did you get here?!"

Blank eyes looked down at Aomine, and the owner of said eyes shook his head disappointingly at the man, "I've been here for a while now. I watched your entire, sad attempt at doing Taki-san's hair."

"Hey, in my defense, I think it looks pretty damn good."

"Hair is sticking out everywhere, the pony-tail is sideways, the hair band is barely on – frankly, it looks like she just survived being thrown into a tornado."

Meekly, Aomine shrugged, "That's good, right? I mean, at least she came out of the tornado alive."

Kuroko sighed in resignation and instead kneeled down, gesturing for Taki to come to him. Happily, she got up and with light steps, she walked towards the smaller man. With skillful movements, the blue-eyed teacher undid the mess that resembled a bird-nest and turned it into a simple, elegant high pony-tail.

"There you go, Taki-san," he said thoughtfully.

The girl turned around and beamed at him, "Thank you, Tetsu-kun!"

Sulking, Aomine shouted out, "Where's my thanks?"

"Thank you for being so useless!" he little blonde spat.

"What? You little – ugh! Forget it. Start warming up you brat! 100 laps around the gym!" he barked.

"Yeah, yeah, you meanie demon coach!" she stuck out her tongue at him, but turned to Kuroko before leaving, "Good luck Tetsu-kun~ Your team is going to need it!"

The man looked down at her with warm eyes, "Good luck, Taki-san," and ruffled her hair.

With that, the two men watched her skip away towards her teammates who were already diligently stretching. Sighing contently, Aomine couldn't keep the smile off his face. Her enthusiasm was contagious.

"Hey, Tetsu," the tanned man opened his mouth to speak, "I hate to say this but – huh? Why are you touching yourself?"

Kuroko glared at him, "Could you not put it that way?"

Aomine shrugged.

Biting his lips, the shorter man returned to his own thoughts, as his hand rested on his forehead. Occasionally, he'd look down to his other hand. The pro was starting to get impatient and growled, "Are you going to tell me what you're doing or are you just going to continue this little show?"

Kuroko didn't flinch at all. Calmly, he shook his head.

"No," he murmured, "It must have been my imagination."

"Haa?"

"It's nothing, Aomine-kun. Anyways, are you planning on telling me what happened with Kise-kun last night?"

"What about last night?" the pro tried to feign ignorance.

"…." Blue eyes eyed him up and down, "Forget I ever asked. Last thing I want is to explain to the kids why Ahomine-sensei's weewee is up."

"?!"

Automatically, his hands went straight towards his pants.

"I was joking. But, it seems you two had fun last night."

Aomine raised his fist jokingly at his friend, "Shut up, Tetsu."

"Ooh, Aomine-kun is acting like an embarrassed teen girl, how cute."

"Hey, this isn't easy! Why don't you talk about you and Akashi?"

"Well, if you insist."

"Huh? Wait, no Tetsu – "

"Yesterday, Akashi-kun and I went to a hotel. I didn't even know it, but he really wanted me. So in the elevator he started to kiss me and then he reached for my zipper and –"

Aomine blurted out, "I'm sorry I asked."

"What? Didn't you want to know about our sex life? Akashi-kun is really good with his tongue."

"I swear to god, stop. Don't put these disturbing images into my head."

Kuroko laughed quietly to himself as he watched his best friend cover his face and shiver. It was nice to see life in those azure eyes again. A month ago, he never could have imagined that the tanned man could make these expressions ever again. He remembered the look on Aomine's face as the door closed, and how hopeless the situation seemed. But now it was so different. The three of them really looked like a family.

"Ah."

His exclamation made the other man look up from his hands.

"Have you decided when to tell her?"

"Tell who… oh… about that…"

Kuroko could see the nervousness flit into the usually intimidating eyes. Clenching his teeth, Aomine slumped down onto the floor and sat down.

"I don't know. It's not exactly an easy topic to bring up."

"Your time is almost up though," he said, sitting down next to the man.

"Yeah, I know," the pro began to scratch his chin, deep in thought, "but it's not like I can just walk up to her and be like, 'Yeah, sup kid. I'm actually your dad. I didn't know you were born so I missed out on five years of you life but now that I'm back, it's all good."

"Might also want to mention that you threatened to take her away from everything she's ever known."

"Right," he said, "That'd absolutely help my case. Thanks. Why don't I just go ahead and wear a sign that says El Creepo on it, since she'll see me as one anyways."

Ignoring the sarcasm, Kuroko leaned his body on the other's back, "The longer you put this off, the harder it will be to come clean. At least now she's not going crazy with hormones."

"Right. Satsuki used to turn bat-shit crazy all the time during middle school and high school. She used to hit me every time she saw my face."

"You deserved it most of the time," he snorted, "Besides, being your daughter, Taki-san will probably burn cities down, not just hit you."

"Are you trying to say something about me?"

"Let's just say that I thank god every day that you weren't born a girl."

Aomine opened his mouth but closed it when he couldn't think of anything to say. Instead, he glanced at the clock. The hour hand was at three, and the minute hand had just arrived at twelve.

"Huh. Look at that. You'll have to excuse me. I need to get my team together. It's time for them to whoop your team's ass."

Matching his arrogant smile, Kuroko smiled softly and raised a fist, "May the best team win, Aomine-kun."

"Back at ya," the man smirked, bumping his own fist against the others. Then, he jogged off towards his side of the gym.

There, four familiar faces looked up at him, all excited and nervous. Oddly, he felt a sense of pride and warmth. That should have been expected though. Excluding Taki, none of them had ever played basketball before. Now, they've come a long way.

_Speaking of Taki…_

"Where's the bossy little princess?"

"Sleeping," one of the boys answered him, pointing to the corner of the gym behind him.

Aomine clicked his tongue, "I told that brat to warm up. What's she slacking off for?"

The only response he got were mumbles and a lot of shrugging.

Irritated, the tanned coach stomped over to the blonde girl. Leaning down, he could see the rhythmic rise and fall of her chest. She had a peaceful look on her face, and while he knew he should wake her, a part of him kind of wanted to just watch her sleep. It was at times like these that the pro understood how Kise saw the girl – a little angel.

However, there was a game to play and he couldn't have his star player out in la la land.

Clearing his throat, he tried to wake her using his low voice, "Game's starting, Taki."

She didn't stir.

Trying again, raising his voice a little, he called her name once more. This time, her eyelids fluttered and slits of blue eyes could be seen. Quietly, she mumbled inaudible sounds.

Aomine was starting to get impatient at the child's slow rising, and took it upon himself to drag her up. Wrapping his arms around her, he lifted her onto her feet. To his surprise, there was no resistance.

"Hey, are you okay?"

Her body was warmer than before, and she fell right onto him. Usually, she would have thrown a fit and pushed away. This time, she didn't utter even a single word.

"Hey, Taki, can you hear me?"

After a moment of silence, faintly, he heard her reply in a hoarse voice, "… Has the game started yet?"

"No," he felt uneasy at her strange behaviour.

"…Got to go play…" she mumbled in slurred words.

Slowly and with much difficulty, she pushed herself off the man and tried to walk. Instead, she fell backwards, landing on her behind.

_Okay, there is definitely something wrong with her._

"Are you sick?" he asked, extending a hand to check her forehead.

There was no mistaking that heat. She had a fever.

Not knowing what to do, Aomine picked up the delirious child and half-jogged, half-walked, panicking, towards the opposite side of the room. In a worried voice, he called out to the smaller man.

"Oi, Tetsu! What the heck do I do! She's burning!"

Composed as always, Kuroko simply reached a hand and felt the girl's temperature, "Hmm. She's got the fever."

"Don't 'hmm' me! What am I supposed to do? She's really hot. Is she going to die?"

The smaller man kneed him, "Will you calm down? It's just the flu. We just need to send her home. Go call Kise-kun and tell him to pick her up."

With clumsy, inefficient movements, Aomine passed Taki into Kuroko's arms and took his cell phone out of his pocket. Somehow, even with his bumbling fingers, he was able to find the model's contact number. After the fifth ring, he heard the sound of his call connecting.

" _Aominecchi? Is something wrong?"_ the voice on the other end crackled.

"Kise, um well, are you free right now?" Aomine stuttered.

Kuroko kicked him and hissed, "You sound like you're asking him out on a date. Just tell him to come."

"Ouch," he snarled back, before returning to his call, "I mean, can you come pick up your brat?"

" _Takicchi? Why? What's happening?"_

"Well, she's burning up."

" _Takicchi is on fire? Why is she on fire? What the hell are you doing to my baby?!"_

"Oh, for crying out loud," Kuroko shoved the girl back into his arms and took the phone out of his hands, "Kise-kun. Taki-san has a fever right now and needs to go home and rest. Can you pick her up?"

" _Kurokocchi? Takicchi is sick? Ahhhhh! I'm coming right now!"_

"Good. Will you be here in ten minutes?"

"… _."_

"Kise-kun?"

" _I'm sorry Kurokocchi… I forgot that I'm on the other side of Japan right now…"_

"Exactly across Japan where?"

Hearing Kise's answer, Kuroko just sighed, "You're not going to be back until evening."

" _I'm sorry, Kurokocchi! Tell Takicchi I'm sorry too."_

"It can't be help. I'll just send her home with Aomine-kun."

This made the basketball pro snap back into attention, "I can't take care of her."

Instead of replying, Kuroko shoved the cell phone to his ear. Aomine could hear Kise frantically blasting off instructions.

"…the medicine is in the top drawer… make her porridge… make sure she gets tucked in with two blankets… always make sure there is water on her bedside table… don't leave her side…"

There were so many things that he began to forget and lose track of them all. Overwhelmed, he cut Kise off, "I can't do this. Can't you take her home, Tetsu?"

Shaking his head, the other man told him, "This is my class. I can't leave until they are all picked up by their respective guardians."

Kise also chimed in, " _Why can't you do it, Aominecchi?"_

"I've never taken care of anyone, especially not a kid. What if I mess up and she dies?"

" _I'd like that you don't jinx that."_

"Sorry."

" _Anyways, I think you'll do fine Aominecchi. Takicchi is a resilient girl, like her daddy and papa. Besides, I'll be home before you know it."_

"And I'll come visit when all the kids have gone home," Kuroko offered.

Aomine still wasn't too eager about this. Once, he had caught a crayfish as a pet and it died. He didn't want to risk it with Taki.

Somehow, Kise must have sensed his lingering discomfort because he cooed in his most seductive voice, " _Pretty please, Aominecchi? For me? I'll reward you with something fun later~"_

He gulped, but it wasn't enough to hook him yet.

Then, Kise switched from bribing to guilt, " _Aominecchi, do you not love Takicchi? What kind of daddy won't try and take care of his own baby?"_

"Agh, fine! I'll do it. But if something happens I'm blaming you two."

" _Aww, thank you Aominecchi! I love you!"_

"Yeah, yeah. Let's see if you do after I mess up."

" _Mm, but I believe that Aominecchi will do a good job. Good daddy!"_

"Shut up Ki – "

"…Papa?"

Flushed, with glazed eyes, Taki struggled to reach the phone. Seeing her trouble, Kuroko moved the phone down towards her, allowing her to grip it weakly.

" _Takicchi? What is it? Are you okay?"_

"Where are you, papa?"

" _Papa is still working, baby. But Aominecchi is going to take care of you until I come back. Is that okay, Takicchi? Papa is sorry."_

"Uhh… it's okay papa. Taki is fine," she smiled softly, "Be a good papa and work hard."

" _Mm, that's my girl. You also be a good girl for Aominecchi, okay?"_

"I'll take care of him."

"Um, no. I'm supposed to be taking care of you," Aomine rolled his eyes.

She ignored him.

" _All right, papa has to get ready to come back now. I'll see you soon, okay baby?"_

"Yes. Be safe papa."

" _Bye bye!"_

Click.

"How are you feeling, Taki-san?"

At this question, the little blonde yawned and rubbed her dark blue eyes, "Sleepy."

"I see," he looked at her with concern, "Then it's best that Aomine-kun takes you home quickly."

"You don't need to look at me like that, I'm going," the larger man huffed.

"Be safe," Kuroko waved.

Aomine looked at the smaller man, "Got it."

Child in his arms, Aomine made his way out of the gym, and into the long corridors. Like always, he got confused and had to wonder around for a bit before the sight of the twin glass doors appeared. Once he got out though, he had the urge to go right back in. Unfortunately, it was a typical summer day. No wind and the relentless sun made the temperature outside an unbearable abomination. Just five seconds outside, and he already missed the cool, relieving air conditioning of the child care center. It wasn't he who was suffering the most though. Even in the heat, he could feel the warmth coming from Taki's body just as easily as before.

"Jeez, are you sure you're not dying? Sweat's pouring out of you like a waterfall."

"Un. I can play basketball still…"

"Like hell you can."

Aomine didn't care that both Kise and Kuroko said that she would be fine, or that Taki herself said she was okay. He wasn't going to take any chances. Clutching the girl tight into his chest, he began to sprint down the street. He figured that he could probably run faster home than wait for a cab.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Gently, he pulled back the comforter on the large bed and laid Taki onto it. He was careful not to make any grand movements though, because the girl had gave in at some point on the way home. Her breathing was now slow and steady as she slept calmly. Silently, Aomine pulled a tissue out of the box and began to soak up her sweat. The poor child had sweat so much that her hair was wet and stuck to her face.

When he finished, Aomine decided to go downstairs and try to do some of the things Kise had rambled off about on the phone. Although he was able to get a cup of water before coming up, he still needed to find the medicine and look up how to make porridge.

As he got up and turned around to leave, he felt his shirt get caught on to something. Without turning around, he reached his fingers down to try and unhook it. Surprisingly, he didn't find something, rather, it was someone.

"Don't go," Taki cried in a faint voice.

"I'm only going downstairs, I'll be back," he said, trying to imitate Kise's cooing voice. It came off kind of psychotic, but it was good enough.

"No, don't leave me."

At a loss for what to do, he turned to face her and grabbed onto her hand.

"I'm scared, papa," she whimpered with glassy eyes, "It hurts."

_Ah. She thinks I'm Kise._

He didn't feel the need to correct her though. Easing her grip, he held onto her hand as he placed it back towards her body. Aomine didn't leave after, but instead kneeled down beside the bed.

"Go to sleep," he rumbled in his low voice.

"Don't go," she cried again.

"I won't. I promise to stay here, okay?"

"Until I fall asleep?"

"Yeah. 'Til you fall asleep."

The tanned man watched as relief filled her eyes that seemed to mirror his own. Slowly, her eyelids grew heavy and her grip slackened. Yet, he didn't leave.

"You should have been honest, idiot," he whispered, "Should have told Kise that you were scared."

He continued, "You know, I just realized recently but you look like me and act like me. But you're definitely Kise's daughter."

He brought his face closer to hers, and touched foreheads, "Both of you try to keep problems to yourself…you can trust me you know."

Closing his eyes, he exhaled slowly, and thought about that day at the zoo.

_"You're not Taki's daddy," she whispered back._

_It stung a bit, but he tried to brush it off nonchalantly, "Yeah, I know, sorry."_

_"I wish you were."_

As his own eyes got heavy, he griped her hand tightly into his own and murmured, "Would you have still said that if you knew the truth?"

 

 

* * *

 

 

"…Mine… Ahomine!"

Aomine woke to a weak pounding on his back and a high-pitched voice chanting his name. Groggily, he forced his eyes opened to see a cranky yet somewhat better looking Taki staring down at him.

"Wake up, sleepy head!" she pouted.

"What the hell," he complained, "Shouldn't you be resting?"

"There's no time for that!" she puffed out her cheeks, "The game! We have to go to the game!"

The basketball pro groaned, "What time is it? The match is probably already over."

Horror flickered in her blue eyes, and a dark realization dawned on the young girl. Aomine watched silently as the girl turned to her bed side, and with trembling hands she picked up her digital clock. In the light of the setting sun, red numbers glowed faintly. It read: 6:30 pm.

As the blue-haired man had said, the game was already long over.

Not uttering a single word, the child's shoulders slumped down, face low. Peering closer, Aomine could see the little hands grip the clock more firmly.

"Hey," he whispered, "You okay?"

A moment passed, and still she hadn't spoken. Worried, he shifted his body lower to the ground to take a peek at her face. Warm droplets fell on his own tanned cheek and he could feel his body stiffen.

"I… I wanted to play."

Her eyes were fighting to keep the tears in, but it was a losing battle. Through her long locks, Aomine could see the regret in her expression.

"I worked so hard and I practiced so much. It's not fair," her voice rose into a scream, "It's not fair!"

Her tiny fists raised the clock above her head, and with an angry yell, she tossed it above the man's head. It landed with a dull thud, before bouncing off the wall and falling to the ground, virtually unharmed. Shocked as he was, the alarm clock would have to wait. There was a more alarming matter on hand: calming down Taki.

"There will always be more games," he said, comfortingly.

Taki only shook her head, "But you won't be here."

His eyes met hers, and she leaned over to hug him.

"Tetsu-kun said you'd only be here for the next month. That means you'll be going away soon, right?" she murmured in a quiet voice, "I wanted to show you how good I am…"

He was at a loss, "What? Thought you hated my guts."

"I do! I hate almost everything about you!"

Expected, but Aomine still felt a twinge of pain from her rejection of him.

"But," she continued, "You can be cool, like, when you play basketball, or when you saved Taki at the zoo."

He looked away, "No big deal."

"And you make papa smile lots! I hate that you can make papa laugh more than I can," she glared at him, "I mean, I'm so much prettier than you! Hmph!"

"So what you're trying to say is that you just hate me?"

The blonde girl shook her head, and looked seriously at him. With a sad, tiny voice, she said, "No… I'm trying to say that I don't want you to go away. You can stay with papa and me… you don't need to leave."

Her eyes twinkled in the evening light, and Aomine could see how earnest she was.

"I can't stay, at least not yet," he said honestly.

The little blonde's eyes fell, and she bunched the edge of her blanket into a ball, "Why not?"

"Our basketball season starts in the fall. I'm a professional player – I can't go missing games," he tried to say it as gently as possible, to try and make sure that the girl understood that he wasn't leaving because he wanted to, but because he had to.

Whether she understood or not, her expression showed no indication of either. It stayed disappointed. Instead, she pushed her comforter away and reached out for a hug. Aomine felt her warmth and at the moment his heart sank. In just a week, he would leave Japan. He would leave not only the love of his life, who he finally made up with, but also his daughter – their daughter.

The realization stung him. No more early morning bickering, or playful teasing, or afternoon practices or late evening one-on-ones. Again, he'll miss all of his only child's milestones. Thinking back, he felt regret. He wasn't there for her first word, or first steps. Now, the pro realized that he was wrong when he thought he wasn't suited to be a father.

_I'm not supposed to be 'acting' as a dad, I_ _**am** _ _a dad._

Aomine looked down on Taki, and rested his chin on her head. She smelled comforting; her scent was a mix of soap and baby lotion, with a hint of Kise's cologne.

Coughing, he decided to be brave.

"Hey, brat," he exhaled nervously.

Her azure eyes looked up and met his own.

"What is it, Ahomine?" She said it with the degrading tone she always used to address him with, but today, it was a bit gentler.

 _This is it,_ he thought,  _now or never._

"Do you want to go back to America with me?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: HELLO. I AM ALIVE. Joking aside, I’m happy that I can finally release a chapter OTL. I’m really sorry for putting Taki on hiatus… and I don’t even know if I can release again soon. But… I wanted to put out one at least for the holidays… which have passed. I know. I am bad. OTL. I’m so sorry and thank you all for bearing with me ^^
> 
> So… here’s the start of the final arc which means that the story will end within 2ish more chapters~ I’d like to finish this soon and stop delaying it! I’m sorry if this chapter is lacking ,even though you’ve all waited so long for it. I feel as if my writing skills have been degrading urgh. BUT. I tried my best and I really hope you all enjoy it. Merry belated Christmas and belated Happy Holidays, as well as Happy belated New Year! Thank you for the previous year and I will work harder. 
> 
> P.S. HOORAY FOR AKASHI’S FIRST ANIMATED APPEARANCE.


	11. Are You...?

“America?”

“Yeah.”

“Where’s that?” Taki pouted, confused at the foreign word, “Is it close to Akashi-sama’s?”

Aomine sighed, “No. It’s where I live, and where I play basketball. You have to ride a plane to get there.”

“Plane?!”

As soon as she heard the word, her round eyes sparkled in excitement, “So, you get to fly up high in the sky?”

“Yeah. It’s pretty cool.”

“Wow!” she exclaimed, “What’s America like? Is it warm? Cold? Is it far?”

He smirked. Ruffling the girl’s hair he explained, “Yeah, it’s far. It’s pretty much on the other side of the world. But there’s a hell of a lot of things to do there. Anyways, it’s where I play basketball with some of the best players in the world.”

Teasingly, he poked her forehead, “You want to see a match with legendary players?”

The little blonde could nearly hold in her excitement, and she leapt into his arms from under her covers. “Yes, yes! I want to see, Ahomine! I want to go!”

Relieved, he grinned widely, “Great. Now just to tell Kise.”

“… Papa?” her voice lost all enthusiasm, and she shifted uncomfortably.

The tanned man looked down at the child, whose expression had grown sad. He pinched her cheeks, but she barely reacted. All of her earlier hype had disappeared without a trace.

“What’s the matter?”

She looked at him thoughtfully, and then shook her head, “I can’t go...”

Aomine forced his expression to stay calm, to avoid showing the disappointment that was forming inside of him, “Why? Didn’t you just say you wanted to?”

“I know… I really want to go,” Taki gave him a sad stare, “But, I can’t leave papa alone! I promised papa that Taki would protect him and be with him always!”

The blue-haired man opened his mouth to object, but the girl continued before he could start.

“Taki doesn’t want her family to separate. Papa once said that it was ‘me and you against the world.”

Her eyes sparkled with that memory, igniting a happy expression. Her face relaxed and she sighed. Again, Aomine felt the guilt gnaw at him for have being away for so long, even if it wasn’t totally his fault.

“You know, Kise can come too.”

“But…” she looked up.

Now what, the pro winced, “But…?”

The blonde shrank down, almost as if she was nervous, “What about mama?”

A bolt from the blue – Aomine fought to keep his composure. That... the child’s mother… it brought on a touchy subject. In the beginning, before the man knew the truth, he had resented the phantom woman who stole the love of his life away. At that time, he wondered who could have Ksie loved more than him. Like in basketball, the answer was clear – The only one who could beat him was him. All this time, Aomine was really just in a battle with himself.

Meaning, there never was such a woman… and although that made him happy, it brought on another challenge. How could he explain to a young girl that she had no mother; she only had two buff, muscle headed fathers.

Unnerved, he tried to bring up an old conversation, “You said you only had Kise.”

Her expression remained unchanged, and she slumped down back onto her bed. Stretching her arms overhead, she shifted her position so that she was staring up at his face while lying flat on her back, “That was because I was afraid you’d ask about mama from papa and then papa would be hurt.”

“Hurt?”

“Uh huh,” she said quietly, anxiety clouding her expression, and she snuggled against his arm for comfort, “Papa used to hold a picture and cry at night. I think it was a picture of mama.”

Absentmindedly, Aomine petted her head gently, “Did you ever see that picture?”

“Nuh uh. Papa never showed it to me. He just said that it was of someone very important who he had to say bye bye too.”

Don’t tell me, the man winced, that it was a photo of me.

“Why do you want a mom? Isn’t Kise enough?”

As if his words offended her, the girl clenched his arm really tightly with her tiny fingers and snarled at him.

“Well, duh! Papa is awesome! He takes care of Taki and loves Taki lots but…” her voice trailed into a barely audible whisper, and the bravado she put up faltered, “Papa is gone for long times sometimes. Taki gets lonely.”

Now, the girl loosened her grip on his arm and closed her eyes. She must have felt comfort from his warmth, as she snuggled her cheek onto his muscular arm. Her soft hair tickled him, and he couldn’t help but pet her head. Yet, she still wore a solemn expression. Aomine felt a sharp pain in his chest as he watched her. He had only seen Taki make that face one other time – during the zoo trip they had a week back.

“Sometimes… when the mommies and daddies come pick up their kids at the day care, I feel sad. One by one, all of my friends leave me. It’s lonely to be left behind,” she mumbled, “I know papa will come for me… he usually does but...”

“Usually?”

“Papa can get really busy… not right now but sometimes during winter. He can’t come home on time to get Taki, so Taki goes home with Akashi-sama and Tetsu-kun and Souta.”

“Taki,” he murmured.

Worried that she would cry, he lifted her meek body up and pulled her face into his chest, patting her head. He really was useless at comforting crying people, more so when they were children, but this felt right.

Luckily, she must have sense his unease and held back her tears. Instead, the girl tugged on his sleeves to get his attention. She shook her head and smiled up at him, “Even though it’s lonely, now I have you! It’s really fun when we play basketball together… and before I know it, Papa is here!”

The man felt a faint blush from embarrassment, as she hugged him, little arms trying to wrap around his waist. She was so small and so soft that Aomine was surprised. In return, he embraced her back, careful not to apply too much pressure. It was almost as if her spine would break if he squeezed too tightly.

You’d think he’d get used to it, but still her fragility awed him. She wasn’t like his teammates or his pals, and she wasn’t even like Momoi who, although physically weaker than him, was still rather sturdy. No, the girl in his arms was tiny and meek.

Light enough that he could throw her with one arm, delicate enough to be broken by venomous words. At that moment, he felt a need to protect her – he wanted to keep her away from the outside world where monsters disguised as humans lurked.

The tanned man chuckled quietly. Now, he realized why Kise had been so protective of the child when they first met, even going as far as to punch the pro at their reunion.

“But you know,” her voice perked.

“What?”

“Do you know Satsuki-chan? She’s really pretty and has bouncy pink hair!”

Her sweet voice startled him, and he had to wait for her to repeat the question to process it. She pouted, but spoke again – this time more slowly, making the man call her a cheeky brat in his head. Hearing Momoi’s name, Aomine thought of his childhood friend, and nodded.

“That’s a random question. What about Satsuki?”

“Oh… wait! Ahomine! You called her so informally!”

He gave her a puzzled look, “What about it?”

“Are you close?”

“Yeah, she’s my childhood friend.”

“Oh, okay.”

“Are you going to tell me about Satsuki? Or did you just want to say her name?”

“Oh yeah,” she laughed, “Well, you know that Akashi-sama and Tetsu-kun are busy a lot right. So, I go stay with Satsuki-chan. I always have fun at Satsuki-chan’s! She’s really warm and soft when she hugs me. Plus, she cooked food for me and baked cookies!”

Aomine scowled at that thought. In his memory, Momoi was a terrible cook. She couldn’t even make lemon slices in honey. The woman had soaked whole lemons with their peels on in a tub of that sweet liquid. He didn’t want to even remember the “dishes” she made. Frankly, he always wondered if they were even technically edible. He actually was hoping that his friend had fed his daughter frozen food or takeout. It was better than imagining her poison the child.

“She also has a really pretty voice. Papa has a pretty singing voice too but I like Satsuki-chan’s more. Don’t tell papa though! When I was with Satsuki-chan, I wondered if that was what having a mama was like. It felt good. I didn’t feel so sad anymore.”

“Yeah,” the man muttered, tiredly.

He didn’t want to hear this anymore. The more she described the picture of the mother, the more his will wavered. How could he tell her the truth now, when she dreamed of a mother so vividly. He doubted that she’d be happy to know that her other parent was another big, rowdy man who was anything but soft and feminine.

“Do you think Satsuki-chan could be my mama?” she suddenly asked, expression hopeful.

Aomine sighed, and rested his face on his palm. Looking away, he grumbled sulkingly, “Satsuki’s eyes are pink, and Kise’s eyes are yellow. Your eyes are blue. How the heck could she be your mom?”

He knew that he was being childish, but it didn’t help. The blue-haired man felt jealous of the girl’s attachment to his childhood friend, and contempt that he was losing the will to come clean. He really just wasn’t cut out for this type of delicate talks. If it were anyone else, he probably would have blurted out the truth as soon as he had heard about it. Forget taking her forcibly; Aomine knew that he didn’t even have the guts to take her to the park without Kise’s permission. Just one tear would have made his knees go weak and he’d have given in. There was no way he could handle her tears of disappointment, even if he knew that it would only get worse the longer he let the farce go on.

Suddenly, breaking his train of thought, he saw a flash of pale skin from the corners of his peripheral vision. Reacting on instinct, he whipped his body back, slamming against the backboard of the girl’s bed. Wincing he glanced down to find a pouting child with her arms extended.

“What are you doing?” he asked, stunned.

Taki huffed with annoyance, “Why’d you move away, idiot! Down!”

Muttering something him not being a dog, Aomine bent down anyways, obeying his little girl’s commands. With gentle movements, she placed her hands on Aomine’s face, surprising him.

“What is it?” he murmured, trying to avoid eye contact.

With more force than her little body should have had, Taki yanked his face closer to hers. Her own large, blue eyes bore into him, as if she could see through everything he was. Aomine looked at them in awe. He wondered if this was how Kise saw his eyes; they were beautiful.

Breaking the silence, Taki finally gave out a grin.

“Talking ‘bout eyes… your eyes are pretty. They look like the ocean – like mine. At least that’s how papa describes them,” she smiled, “Maybe if you were a girl, you could be my mama! Funny imagining you as Taki’s mama!”

Yeah, funny, he thought, because it’s true… well, sort of.

Patting his daughter’s head, Aomine fell back, resigned. Somehow, he couldn’t bear to tell her the truth anymore. How would she react now? Would she cry? Or, even worse, would she simply brush it off, calling it a lie? Aomine wasn’t sure if he could take that. Maybe he should don a wig and start wearing dresses.

Silently, he cursed himself, feeling dejected. He knew himself well, and thus realized that he didn’t have anything to give her. He couldn’t really cook, he couldn’t sing, he wasn’t soft nor was he motherly at all. Frankly, he was not exactly fatherly either. He couldn’t give her anything more than what Kise, or even do as well as the blonde. Frowning, he covered his face, frustrated at his predicament. Could he even give her the love she needed? Even that seemed impossible. All he had was a sense of over-protectiveness growing within the depths of his mind... but… was that love?

Irritated, he slumped back onto the floor, hands over his eyes and exclaimed, “Ahh, it’d be so much easier if Kise had just been a girl.”

“Eh? Why is that?”

Aomine spread his fingers and looked up. He was surprised at the girl’s sudden interjection, as if she had just read his mind. “Why is what?”

Taki gave him a look, “Why would it be easier if papa was born a girl?”

It took a moment, but he realized that he hadn’t thought that, he had said it out loud. Cursing under his breath, he tried to think of an explanation – anything but the truth. The gears in his brain started turning, but he came up with none. Taki was looking at him with expectant eyes, and the man was at a loss at what to do.

Luckily, the door bell chimed, just in time.

Excusing himself, he left the whining child in a hurry, thankful to whoever was at the door for their impeccable timing. Silently cursing under his breath as he slumped down the stairs, he reminded himself to be more careful. This was a difficult matter, and he didn’t want to screw it up. He’s suffered… no, all three of them has suffered for five years already. It was time that this was resolved.

I… we… deserve this much, right?

Reaching the door, he yanked it open to find the entire Akashi family.

“Hey Ahomine-sensei,” the red-eyed boy said, “Where’s Taki?”

The blue-eyed man pointed to the stairs and grunted, “In her room.”

Getting jittery, Souta thanked him and dashed into the house. However, Aomine yanked the boy by the collar and glared at him.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

“To Taki!” the boy sputtered.

“Not without a chaperone.”

From in front of the man, a dry cough recaptured his attention. Turning his gaze back toward the red and blue couple, he saw that Akashi was smiling wryly towards him.

“Let the boy though. They’re just going to play,” Akashi ordered, leaving Aomine no room to object.

Awkwardly, the man moved aside and gestured for everyone to walk in, unhappily. As the red-eyed boy ran up the stairs, the tanned man growled, “Keep the door open!” after him. Behind him, the couple murmured to themselves in amusement. They found the sudden papa wolf tranformation hilarious.

“And here I thought Ryouta was way too protective,” the former captain smirked.

Kuroko agreed with a smile, “I always knew Aomine-kun was the overprotective type.”

After exchanging relieved glances, the two stepped comfortably as if they owned the place. Both Akashi and Kuroko stripped off their light jackets and flung them onto the taller man.

“Mmf?!”

“Be a good boy and hang our jackets, all right?” Akashi laughed.

“Screw you,” Aomine muttered.

“What was that, Daiki?”

“Nothing!”

“… Better have been nothing…”

Akashi gave him the evil eye before following his partner into the next room.

Grumbling, Aomine took them. However, instead of hanging them, he simply dumped them onto the closest couch when the other men weren’t looking. Shortly after, he joined them in the kitchen, where Kuroko was already brewing tea.

“Take a seat, Daiki,” Akashi motioned, “You must have had a hard day.”

Who’re the guests here? The tanned man thought for a second. Then, he remembered that this was Kise’s house and that they were all guests.

As he took a spot in front of the red-head, Kuroko walked over and set a mug in front of him, and one for Akashi before settling down with a cup of his own.

“Well then,” the ex-captain smiled, taking a sip of his drink, “How did it go?”

Aomine only stared at him, confused, “How did what go?”

This unnerved the man a bit, which didn’t happen often. Next to him, Kuroko’s expression changed to a slight victorious smile.

“You…” Akashi said slowly, “You didn’t tell her that you were her father yet?”

He bit his lip and clutched his cup more firmly, “No.”

“Daiki, you,” the intimidating man snarled, “Are you kidding me?”

Aomine winced at the man’s sudden change in composure. His former captain wasn’t big or physically threatening, but still he managed to make the pro shake in fear. Still, afraid as he was, he just couldn’t understand why he was being glared at and sucked up his courage to ask.

Akashi only stared at him harshly, and it was Kuroko that opened his mouth to explain the situation.

“We betted on whether you’d drop the bomb on Taki-san tonight or not,” Kuroko laughed, “I’m so glad that I had faith in your cowardness.”

“Thanks… – hey wait! That wasn’t a compliment,” Aomine roared.

The smaller man shrugged, “Doesn’t matter. It’s my win, right Akashi-kun?”

His spouse glared at him menacingly, “Shut up, Tetsuya. I had foreseen that she would find out tonight… I am never wrong…”

Not affected by the man’s words, Kuroko smiled and patted Akashi’s arm patronizingly, “Of course, Akashi-kun. You are absolute after all.”

“I…am… absolute… I’m never wrong…”

The red head continued to murmur under his breath, but no one paid any attention.

 

* * *

 

 

Far from the adults, a light shone from inside a room. Inside, Taki was sitting upright on her bed, with Souta standing awkwardly next to her.

“Hiya, Taki,” the boy said, “You feeling better?”

Taki ignored the question and went straight to what she wanted to know, “Your team won, right?”

Souta felt uncertainty on how to answer the question. Reaching to his back pocket, he pulled out a tiny gold medal. Feeling guilty, he nodded slightly.

Gazing at the prize, Taki’s expression turned sour but she tried to cover it with a fake, perky smile, “Congratulations, Souta.”

“Your team played well though,” he tried to comfort her, “Better than I thought.”

“Yeah,” she said, while her hands reached up to rub her eyes. Both of them pretended that there weren’t any tears in her eyes, and did not speak of it and so the conversation went dead.

Depressed, Taki pulled her knees towards he chest, and leaned her head on them sullenly. Unsure of what to do now, Souta walked towards the desk, and absentmindedly began playing with the drawers. After opening and closing the drawers boredly, he got fed up with the silence.

“You know,” he said loudly, “I don’t count this as a win, ‘cause you didn’t play it in the game. So hurry up and get better so we can finally find out who’s better.”

Quietly, a higher pitched voice mumbled, “Obviously me.”

His ears perked up as he heard strength return to her voice. Realizing what it would take to cheer the girl up, Souta smiled and inhaled quietly.

“Nuh uh,” the blue haired boy challenged, “It’ll be me.”

“No way, I’m so obviously better.”

“You couldn’t beat me even with my eyes closed!”

“Did a basketball hit you on the head? I’m better and can beat you with one hand!”

Souta grinned at her sass, “Well, the Taki I know wouldn’t be sad over a missed game. How’re you going to beat me if you are so busy crying? Taki is a cry baby!”

Sitting back up, Taki’s face was pink and she announced with shaky confidence, “Bring it on, stupid Souta! I’ll beat you any day and show you who the real baby is!”

The two children stared at each other, neither moving nor changing expression. The blonde was huffing from suddenly shouting and, realizing that she just raised her voice, sat back down shyly.  
Slowly the boy smiled, “Yeah. We’ll see.”

Realizing that he was only trying to cheer her up, Taki frowned. But she gave up on trying to be sad because he had really cheered her up. Shyly, she smiled back and wiped away the remnants of tears from her eyes, “Thanks Souta.”

Souta turned away embarrassed, focussing on the drawer he had just opened, “No probs…”

Looking down at his hands, Souta tried to hide the faint blush warming his cheeks. To his surprise, a suspicious box was in the drawer in front of him that he had opened absent-mindedly.

“What’s this?” he wondered out loud.

“What’s what?”

Interested, Taki hopped off the bed and walked to his side, forgetting momentarily of today’s misfortune and of the situation shortly before. What she saw was familiar. It was the same metallic box that she had asked her papa about weeks ago. In the notebook they shared, she had inquired about it, only to be brushed off. At the time, she had thrown a tantrum at him, upset that he was keeping secrets from her.

She remembered faintly that the box wouldn’t open no matter how much she pulled, and frowned. The heavy padlock was still there, “It’s locked.”

Souta ignored her, and pushed the lid upwards anyways. To their surprise, it opened effortlessly with a low creak.

“How’d you do that?”

The blonde girl stared at him with awe, and the boy just shrugged, he said, “It just opened.”

Feeling that he was telling the truth, Taki focussed on the contents. Inside, there was a single sheet of paper. Lifting it out with her tiny hands, her mouth twisted into a frown.

“What is this,” she huffed, looking at the many symbols that were foreign to her mind.

Watching her, Souta extended his hand in front of her, “Can I see it?”

Nodding, she handed it over. The boy, holding the sheet firmly in his hands, stared at it with intense concentration. After a moment, he opened his mouth, “B…irth Cer….ti…ficate?”

Taki looked at him amazed, “You can read?”

Souta beamed with pride, “Uh-huh! Father hired a tutor for me!”

The blonde admired him, but quickly asked, “What’s a birth certificate?”

He shook his head though, “I don’t know.”

Frowning, she ushered him to read more. Returning his eyes onto the paper, he scanned it and read what he could.

“Um well, this is yours,” he said, “Your name is here: Kise Taki.”

“What else?” she said, eagerly.

Souta looked at the document again, eyes and brain hurting from the big words. Finally, he let out a cry of triumph, finding words that he understood.

“Your parents are listed here!”

“Really?” she shouted excitedly.

“Maybe your mama’s name is here!”

“Let me see, let me see!”

Taki scooted up close to the boy, heart pounding. She’s barely brought up her mother, because she was afraid that it would make her papa sad. Once, she did ask about her missing parent, but the blonde man didn’t respond. Later that night, Taki had found her dad on the sofa, liquor in hand and cheeks still wet with tears.

That didn’t mean that she was any less curious though. Trembling with excitement, her eyes fell onto the words that Souta were pointing at.

“Father who… um… con-… um Father, okay?” Souta stammered, “Kise Ryouta.”

“And, and?” Taki edged him on, “What about mother?”

“Um…” he hesitated, growing confused. He glanced the document from top to bottom several times, but the familiar word did not appear, “There’s no ‘mother.’

“What?”

Souta, squinting, looked closer to the paper, “Actually… um, it is here but… your papa’s name is where “mother” should be.”

“Hah?”

He pointed at the crossed out word, “See? It says Mother here.”

Taki was disappointed, “So papa is my only parent?”

“Oh, no… there’s another name though.”

“Really?”

“Yeah,” the boy pointed below, “See? It says Father… er… Ao-mi-ne Dai-ki?”

“Wow,” Souta exclaimed, “You have two dads too!”

He looked at her happily, but her expression was serious.

“Taki?”

“Aomine… Isn’t that Ahomine’s name?”

Souta looked at her thoughtfully, then nodded, “But is his first name Daiki?”

She pursed her lips; that, she wasn’t too sure of.

“You know, you could always ask him,” Souta stated.

“I don’t –“

Surprising both of them, a loud slam echoed from the floor below. Faint voices could be heard, but neither child was able to differentiate between them. Soon after, the voices grew quiet and a booming noise replaced them. Growing in volume, footsteps echoed as someone came closer. A knot grew in Taki’s stomach, and she shook in fear. Souta unconsciously took her hand, and they sat in silence as they waited for the door to open. Faintly, Taki heard a familiar voice.

“-kicchi”

Panic rose in her chest as she realized who it belonged to.

“Souta! Give me the paper!” she hissed, in a hurry.

“Huh?!”

Desperately aware of the lack of time, the blonde snatched the document and opened the drawer, quickly dumping it inside. Just as the door creaked open, she slammed it shut and laid against the wooden desk. Breathing in deep huffs, she gave a nervous smile as a deathly pale blonde man walked in. His face was flushed, his hair a mess and he was trying hard to catch his breath. Staggering towards the two children, the man collapsed to his knees in front of her, arms awkwardly raised.

“Takichii….” the man whimpered his expression full of concern and panic. His eyes were wet with tears and fear. He was shaken, and for a second Taki wondered who was the sick one here.

Taki smiled softly and tried to speak with a clear, comforting voice, “Welcome home, papa!”

“Takicchi,” Kise cried again, whisking the child into his arms. He rubbed his cheek against her face and the girl could feel his muscles relax, relieved. With her body against his, she could feel the reverberations of his beating heart. It was heavy and rapid, and his skin was hot against her face. She realized that he must have dashed here… for her.

“Papa…” her voice grew shaky.

“Are you okay, baby?” Kise asked with concern in his eyes, “I’m sorry that I couldn’t be with you sooner.”

“Un,” Taki shook her head. His proximity to her, just his physical presence was so comforting that she just couldn’t hold in her tears anymore. All along, she was so scared, but now she knew that everything would be fine. Wrapping her own arms around him, she pulled her own body even closer, burying her face into his broad chest. Warm tears streaked her cheeks but she didn’t care anymore.

“It’s okay. Taki is a big girl now and papa is here so Taki is fine.”

Smiling tenderly, Kise looked down at his little girl and rested his chin on her head. Ruffling her hair, he sighed contently.

“You are, aren’t you?”he chuckled, his face beamed with a mix of pride and loneliness, “Soon you’ll be leaving the nest. I’ll be lonely.”

“I won’t let you be lonely, papa. I won’t leave you alone, never.”

“Aww, I feel so loved!”

Touched, the model squeezed the girl in his arms even more firmly, and kissed her on the forehead. A smile grew on Taki’s face and she flung her arms around his neck, bringing her lips close to his cheek so she could return the kiss. Snuggling against Kise’s warm body, Taki relaxed and leaned on him comfortably. She felt safe, forgetting her earlier worries.

Shortly after, several sets of steps could be heard. At the entrance of the girl’s room, the three other men appeared, smiling at the pair’s display of affections.

“Aominecchi, Kurokocchi, Akashicchi, thank you so much for taking care of Takicchi.”

Kuroko answered, “It’s no problem, Kise-kun. We’re just glad that Taki-san is all right now.”

“Well then,” Akashi cut in, “I think we’ve overstayed our welcome. It should all be fine now that Ryouta is back.”

“Ah, right. Souta-kun, let’s get ready to go now. Say your goodbyes.”

The little boy waved, “Bye Taki. Feel better. Bye Kise, Aomine-sensei.”

“Bye bye Souta,” the two blondes chirped, and Aomine grunted.

 

* * *

 

 

Getting into the car, Kuroko strapped Souta into his booster seat. Starting the car engine, the three of them began the journey home. As they backed out from the white garaged house, Souta stared out the window, and started dozing.

“We’ll be home soon,” Kuroko whispered, “Don’t fall asleep, Souta-kun.”

“Un…” Souta had drowsily.

Sighing, the blue haired man turned around and attempted to start up conversation. He really didn’t want to wake the child later, as the boy was one of the heaviest sleepers around.

“How was Taki-san? Did you cheer her up properly?”

Hearing the girl’s name, Souta’s eyes widened slightly, “Yeah. She was smiling.”

“That’s my boy,” Kuroko smiled, “Go get her.”

“I will… oh.”

“What is it Souta-kun?”

Cocking his little head, Souta frowned, “That reminds me, dad. You said you and father are friends with Aomine-sensei right?”

“Yes. That is correct. We’ve known him since middle school.”

“Well,” the young boy bit his lips, “Is his first name Daiki?”

Kuroko looked at Akashi, who glanced back with a serious expression.

“Yes, that is correct…” the man said carefully. Deep down, the blue-haired man felt uneasiness, but forced himself to calm down. Perhaps his boy had overheard it at the day care… it didn’t mean anything at all.

Souta let out a yawn, and his face didn’t change.

“Why did you ask, Souta-kun?”

The two fathers held their breath anxiously.

“Oh… I was just wondering if Taki’s other daddy was Aomine-sensei.”

The car veered slightly off course, and Akashi let out a cough.

Too alarmed by the child’s sudden statement, Kuroko didn’t even feel the car shift, “Why – Why do you say that, Souta-kun?”

“Taki and I found a weird box. Inside was a paper that said ‘bi…birth cer..ti..fi..cate,’ he struggled to remember, “and it said that her daddies were ‘Kise Ryouta’ and ‘Aomine Daiki.’

Kuroko frowned, and couldn’t find any words to say. He looked at his partner, but the red head had a wry grin.

Speaking slowly and deliberately, trying to hide his joy, Akashi asked his son, “Does Taki know of this too?”

“Yeah. I read it to her. But I don’t know if she’s sure that the Aomine is Aomine-sensei.”

“Oh, she will. She’s a smart girl,” Akashi laughed.

“You’re in a rather good mood,” Kuroko grumbled.

“Well,” the red head smirked mischievously, “It seems that I really am absolute. I win Tetsuya, and you know what that means.”

The blue haired man winced, and scowled. Sighing, he thought to himself that tonight was going to be a long night.

“The heavens must really love you…” Kuroko sighed, “You always get things your way, at the expense of everyone else.”

Akashi smiled, “Yet no one loves me more than you, Tetsuya.”

Kuroko only sent his husband a playful glare.

 

* * *

 

 

Back in the house, two rooms emitted a bright light. Down the hall from the sky-covered walls room, Aomine and Taki could hear the faint sounds of water running and Kise’s humming.

After some arguing back-and-forth, it was decided that the man would stay over for tonight. So, happy that he got his way, the blonde man had went to take a quick shower first, leaving the awkward pair here.

“Hey…” the pro spoke out, trying to ease the silence, “You feeling better now?”

It was probably due to their unexpected conversation earlier, but the child wasn’t as talkative as usual.

“Yeah.”

She answered plainly, with little emotion and continued to just stare at him. Her eyes were burning into him and he started to feel uncomfortable. Sighing, the man walked over and pinched her cheeks.

“Could you stop looking at me so intently? I know I’m good-looking.”

“Shut up, Ahomine” she snapped, “That’s gross.”

“Hey! I’m not bad-looking enough to be called grossed!”

“Papa is a million times more handsome.”

“That’s not fair. You can’t compare me to Kise. He’s more beautiful than a girl.”

“Do you think he’s beautiful?”

“Haah?!”

He didn’t know how to answer that. He felt self-conscious saying that he thought Kise was good looking, especially because of the way she was staring at him. He was embarrassed to tell the girl that he was attracted to her father.

“Why don’t you answer?”

“Could you stop glaring at me?” he rambled on, trying to hide his embarrassment.

“Ahomine, you’re blushing. That’s gross.”

“You’re gross.”

“Nuh uh!”

“Uh huh!” he roared, and reached forward to tickle her. She laughed as his fingers poked her, and cried for him to stop in between fits of giggles. Getting up onto the bed, he smiled at the chime of her laugh.

He tickled her until she was red in the face and had tears forming at the edge of her eyes. Eventually, he started coughing, and he immediately stopped.

“Are you okay?” he asked worriedly.

“Y-yeah,” she huffed, in-between gasps for air.

“Sorry,” he mumbled, “Forgot you were sick.”

“S’okay,” she smiled, and flopped down onto his lap.

The room went quiet again, except for the sound of their breathing in sync.

Yet, the lack of conversation didn’t bother Aomine this time. He felt comfortable, and relaxed.

Then, after calming down, Taki broke the silence this time.

“Hey, Ahomine?”

“What is it?”

She looked up at him and stared again, “What’s your name?”

He raised an eyebrow, taken off guard by the strange question, “Aomine. Did you hit your head?”

She stuck out her tongue, “I know that. I meant your full name you idiot!”

“Don’t call your teacher an idiot.”

She didn’t react, and he gave up trying to get under her skin, “Aomine Daiki. Why?”

“Aomine….Daiki…”

“What about my name?”

“…dy…”

“What?”

Inhaling deeply, the little blonde sat up and tugged on his shirt. Her gaze sharpened, and felt more penetrative compared to her earlier stares. Aomine held his breath, confused at her strange behaviour. Just a couple hours ago she was so timid and forlorn… why has she changed so much, so suddenly?

“Daddy…”

Aomine felt the air escape his lungs. He couldn’t speak, and he wasn’t even sure if he heard correctly.

“You… what…?”

She tugged his shirt harder and repeated herself, “Daddy…?”

Biting her lips, her hand trembled as she spoke, “Are you… my daddy?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> T/N: Yeah, yeah! Pushing forward to the end~ Luckily, my semester is nearly over so I have free time this week. From now til the end of January, it will be my finals exam week (wish me luck!) and hopefully I’ll find the time to write the next chapter hehe. Sorry if this chapter and the last felt a bit rushed. I feel that I put too many events in this, but I don’t know how to separate them.
> 
> Anyways, little Taki now sort of knows Aomine’s true identity! Yay! The next chapter will probably be the last. I know I said that I wanted to write a cute little epilogue too, but I’m not sure I will. We’ll see. I actually have a little idea for another aokise fanfic (because this otp is so darling). It will probably be an angsty fic and an AU where Kise and Aomine meet in a hospital…due to… circumstances. No it won’t be mpreg LOL. Tell me if you guys will be interested in something like this. I might not write it for awhile though. Maybe I will write the first chapter during March Break. 
> 
> Again, as always, thank you all very much for reading my fic and giving Taki and I so much support. Stay beautiful my dear readers and see you next chapter!


	12. Clear Skies

He opened his mouth, but closed it without uttering a sound. The blue-haired man wracked his brain for something – anything – to say, but he came out with nothing. He just sat there, speechless, as the little blonde grew increasingly frustrated.

"Why don't you answer," Taki growled, eyes dilating with a mix of anxiety and restlessness.

He felt his throat dry and heart beat louder, but he was conflicted. Should he admit the truth and risk rejection, or should he lie to her? Certainly, there was a chance that she would accept him… yet she'd likely not be the most welcoming considering how he had been absent for the first years of her life.

Glancing down at her, their eyes met and once again he marvelled at how identical their irises were. A deep blue filled with complete innocence, her eyes reminded him of his own set during his childhood. The way her eyes would light up when they played basketball, the way they'd flare up at him when he teased her, how they'd grow stormy when she was troubled – he couldn't help but be mesmerized by them. They were proof that she was really his… a truth that he had found so hard to believe. Thinking back, he remembered how uneasy he was about his new reality. He had been angry and awkward. Would she react the same way? Then again, she did deserve to know.

Sighing, he combed his short hair back roughly, and looked away. The longer their eyes met, the guiltier he felt.

Annoyed, she crawled towards him, until their faces were barely an inch away.

"You… you are, aren't you?"

Frowning, he tried to back away, nearly falling off the mattress. Sneakily, he shot a glance at her for a second, and felt the familiar pang in his chest.

Scrunching up his face, he bit his lips, "What would you do if I said that I was?"

She glared at him, "You're not supposed to answer a question with another question!"

Yet his question was undoubtedly a clear answer, proving her statement true. Lingering doubts clouded her eyes, but Aomine could see her coming to that conclusion. Still, something inside of her was rejecting the notion of him being her father, and that made him feel rejected. Shaking his head, he covered his face and thought to himself,  _there's no going back._

Resting his sight onto the little girl again, he watched as she seemed to fight a battle inside. Most certainly, she must have been trying to figure out what she should believe. Lethargically, the tanned man twirled a lock of her long hair, causing her to look up sharply. She stared at him warily, puzzled by his sudden gesture. Resigned, he slowly let the lock fall, and slid his large hand towards her face. With his rough thumb, he lightly grazed the bottom of her right eyelid. The girl flinched, closing her eyes reflexively.

"What…?" she asked, body tensed.

He dropped his hand and grimaced. With a pained expression, he murmured in a raspy voice, "You…have my eyes."

Shaking, she looked upwards, "Then… you…really…"

"Yeah."

She sat very still, almost as if she was in suspended animation.

Frozen, her blank eyes wavered, and she clenched her fists tightly together. She looked at him in disbelief, not wanting to believe what she just heard. Staring down towards the mattress, she spoke in a low, quiet and delicate voice.

"Why," her voice shook, "Weren't you with Taki?"

He averted his eyes. He had no answer to this question. If he said the truth, it'd sound like he was putting all the blame on Kise. It would have made him sound even less a man than he already felt.

"Why did you leave papa?" she raised her voice.

Again, he only provided her with silence.

"Why don't you answer?" she said, tears forming in her eyes.

"I," he took in a breath, closing his eyes, "don't have any excuses."

Hearing his words, she grew silent. He opened his eyes, and had to resist the urge to look away. On her young face, Taki wore a betrayed expression that reflected the disappointment and pain she felt.

"Hey," the man whispered, unable to stand seeing her so hurt.

But when he approached her, she jerked away from his outstretched arm. He looked at her, shocked, and she returned his gaze with wide, untrusting eyes. Her lips were quivering and she stared at him as if she didn't know him. He had become a stranger again.

She may as well have slapped him.

Retracting his hand, he cast his gaze to the ground, stepping off the bed.

"Sorry," he muttered, face unchanging.

The blonde child didn't respond and only watched with hollow eyes as he walked out the door. Closing it behind him, the tanned man began to walk down the hallway, stopping mere feet away. Leaning against the wall, he scoffed and bent forward. Unable to suppress it, he let out a soft, crazed, sad laugh. Holding his lower stomach, he laughed until his eyes watered. As he tried to catch his breath, his legs gave out and he slid down to the floor with one hand scraping the wall.

 _It's so funny,_ he thought,  _I just got rejected by a little girl._

There was no pain.

He only felt numb.

Sitting there, he hung his head down towards the floor. As he rested, he felt something slip down his cheeks. Bringing one of his hands up to cover his face, he placed his head onto his bent knee.

Wiping the substance off with his index finger, he paused as he recognized what it was. The man let out another broken, cynical chuckle as he finally realized what he was feeling.

Grief.

He was mourning the end of his relationship with his only daughter.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Kise stood in front of the closed door, hand suspended in the air. Two days ago, Aomine had disappeared suddenly and hadn't been in contact since. Then out of nowhere, he had heard from Kuroko that the basketball pro had moved his flight forward and would be leaving in another two days, rather than in a week. The little girl too had been acting strange, seeming much less joyful. She had grown distant, and now mostly kept to herself in her room. At first, the blonde man had brushed it off as her just recovering but as time went on by…

He sighed, squinting his eyes. Recalling his conversation with Kuroko earlier, he remembered how he had found out that the tanned man had not been showing up for work and how the girl did not seem to miss him. Considering how close they had been and how much Taki enjoyed playing basketball, there was no way she wouldn't have been asking questions. Furthermore, Kuroko had been acting strange; he had spoken with a knowing tone in his voice.

Something must have happened, and Kise needed to know.

Gathering his courage, he rehearsed his words once more carefully before knocking. Then, he popped his head in cheerfully.

"Takicchi," he exclaimed, "What are you doing?"

In the vibrantly decorated room, the girl laid on the bed, back down. Her limbs were sprawled lifelessly across the mattress and she was staring up absentmindedly to the ceiling. Not hearing a response, he walked towards the child. Upon reaching the bed, he crawled up and laid next to her.

"Takicchi," he said again, as gently as he could.

This time, she heard him and turned to face him, "Oh. Papa."

"Takicchi, what are you doing?"

"Nothing."

"Mm, would you like to do something with papa?"

"Like?"

"Let's play basketball."

She opened her mouth, but then decided to change her answer, "Taki doesn't want to play."

"Really?" he faked surprise, "I thought you liked basketball a lot."

She shrugged, "Tired."

"Hmm, is that so?"

She didn't add anything.

Sensing that she was starting to zone out again, Kise changed the topic.

"You know, Takicchi, papa was talking to Kurokocchi today."

"Tetsu-kun?"

"That's right. He said that Aominecchi hasn't been coming to the childcare centre."

The blonde girl shrugged, "I didn't notice."

"Really? Have you been feeling lonely?"

"No."

"Oh," he said, probing, "but you usually have so much fun with Aominecchi that you can't stop talking about his moves. Did you two have a fight?"

"No."

"Oh, then I suppose you'll come with me now to see him."

"No."

"Then you must have had a fight."

She paused, caught. Trying to think of something to say, Taki bit her lips and rolled onto her side, back towards Kise. Feeling that it was the time to ask, he pressed her on that topic.

"What's been going on, Takicchi? You can tell papa."

"I said it's nothing."

"And I know that it is something," he scolded, "You and Aominecchi were getting along so well. What is going on between the two of you now?"

"Why do you keep talking about him, papa! He's not a good guy. He's a bad man."

Kise stared at her with shocked eyes.

"Takicchi, what makes you say that?"

"You shouldn't care about him so much. He hurt papa."

The man had a strange feeling in his gut, "What do you mean, Takicchi? Are you talking about when he punched me? That was an acci – "

"No, papa!" she suddenly raised her voice, turning to face him, "Taki knows. I know that he left you alone, left us alone."

_Left you alone…_

"Takicchi… you…"

He stammered, brows furrowing. It finally dawned onto him that she had found out the truth about the three of them.

"How did you find out?" he asked, dismayed.

Eyes downcast, she mumbled, "Souta found the black box and it was open this time. He read the paper to me."

Kise scowled,  _I forgot to replace the lock Aominecchi broke._

"And then," she continued, voice trembling, "I asked Ahomine and … and he said that I had his eyes and…"

"And?"

She paused to suck in a breath, "And I asked him why he wasn't here… but… but he didn't have a reason."

"Takicchi…" the man felt horror creep down his spine, "Is that why you two…"

"Why, papa?" she cried, "Why did he leave? Did he not love Taki? If he didn't, why did he come back now? Why…"

Her voice hurt him – shook him to his core. Torn, he felt the guilt gnaw at him. This was all his fault… As if it wasn't enough that he had hurt Aomine with his choice, he's now hurt his baby girl too. Steeling himself, Kise clenched his teeth. If she was going to know the truth, she might as well know the full truth.

"Takicchi," he murmured, "It wasn't Aominecchi's fault."

"What are you talking about, papa?" she gazed at him through watery eyes.

"The reason that Aominecchi wasn't here," he croaked, "Was entirely my fault."

"How can it have been your fault?" her expression became anxious and confused.

"I… I never told him, Takicchi. I never told him about you. I promised that I'd go to America with him, but I broke that promise. Then I had you in secret. The reason he only came now was because he was only able to find out when he returned to Japan this year. The lock on the box, you see – Aominecchi broke it off. That idiot doesn't know his own strength."

Kise chuckled forlornly.

"You should have seen him when he found out. He was so mad… I remember being very afraid. Yet even so… he found it in him to forgive me," he then smiled affectionately at the girl, "He also grew to love his little girl who he never even knew he had."

Bowing his head, Kise spoke softly, "Everything was my fault. So please, Takicchi, if you're going to be angry with someone, hate me."

She stared at him, blank, "But I don't understand."

"Understand what?"

"Why didn't you tell him about me?" she asked in a tiny voice.

"I was afraid," he admitted ruefully.

"Afraid of what?" she frowned, "Were you ashamed of Taki?"

"No, of course not!" he said quickly, not wanting her to misunderstand, "I was afraid that I'd prevent Aominecchi from achieving his dream of playing with the best basketball players in the world…"

She cocked her head to one side, still seemingly perplexed.

"If Aominecchi knew that we were having you, he wouldn't have gone to America that day."

"But how does that prevent his dream from happening?" she asked, mystified, "Can't he just go later?

Kise gave her a pained look, "You're right, Takicchi. He could have, but I didn't think hard enough. That's why this is my fault."

She didn't say anything – only stared at him thoughtfully.

"Do you hate me now, Takicchi?"

The child shook her head, "No. I can't hate you, papa."

"Even after all the hurt I've caused you?"

She thought for a moment, and then said, "Papa has made Taki very happy, even though papa is always so busy. Taki knows papa loves her."

"Oh, Takicchi," the man whimpered, bringing her into an embrace.

They sat in each other's arms for awhile, before Kise pulled her away slightly.

Timidly, he asked, "What about Aominecchi?"

Her faint smile dropped, and she pouted, "I don't know."

"Takicchi?"

She frowned, "I don't know how I feel."

"None of it is Aominecchi's fault though."

"I know," she huffed, "Still… One day he was a bad man, and then another day he's a really cool basketball player and now he's my daddy."

Helplessly, she looked at him, "I don't know how I'm supposed to feel, papa."

Kise watched her fondly, "Do you hate Aominecchi?"

"…" she pondered about that, and then said no.

"Do you have fun when you're with him?"

She nodded.

"Just one more question," he said tenderly, "If I told you that Aominecchi leaves for America the day after tomorrow, what would you say?"

Taki took a moment to process the information. Shortly after, her lips twisted up slightly into a lonely smile and she spoke in a wistful voice, "I would say that I would miss him."

Ruffling her dishevelled hair, he kissed her forehead and began to leave the room, "That's all I needed to hear."

 

 

* * *

 

 

Aomine was sweating, but this time, it wasn't from the hot August sun. Sitting on the wooden bench, he looked around at his surroundings. He was in the middle of a large crowd, and the delicious aroma of food wafted from all around him. For a moment, he had no idea how he ended up here. Struggling with a dull headache, he tried his best to remember.

Through his hazy memory, Aomine recalled the sadistic couple having ransacked his hotel room. He had shouted at them, before being hit on the head with some sort of blunt object. Then… well, then he blacked out. The tanned man guessed that the crazy pair had most likely drove his limp body to this place and dumped him here – in the middle of a fireworks festival.

And if that wasn't enough, he had come to a rude awakening. Upon opening his eyes, he had found the one person he had most dreaded seeing. There, squatting on the ground in front of him was a familiar blonde girl in a tiny yukata. At first, he had thought that he was imagining things, but she was singing a song he knew well.

"Sha la la~"

There was definitely no confusing her with anyone else.

Frowning, he began wondering what he should do. For nearly half an hour, he had tried waiting for Kise to show up. He thought that if he did nothing for a long enough period, whatever strange plan Akashi and Kuroko came up with would be given up on. He didn't know what they hoped to achieve, and didn't really care. He would be gone by tomorrow morning, so why should he care?

Unfortunately, nothing seemed to be happening and he was growing tired of waiting it out. Leaving the child wasn't an option, so he couldn't return to his hotel room. Scowling, he decided that he'll have to try and talk to the girl to get some sort of information.

Awkwardly, he shifted his body so he sat closer to her position on the ground. Several times, he opened and closed his mouth, but he couldn't find the right words to say. After a couple of tries, he finally made a sound.

"Hey…"

His voice cracked but the girl didn't turn.

Embarrassed, he cleared his throat and tried again. "Hey. Taki," her name felt like heavy lead on his tongue.

This time, she tilted her head backwards and stared up at him, "What?"

Aomine let out the breath he had been holding in, relieved that she had responded.

"So um, where's Kise?"

"Dunno," she said matter-of-factly, before looking down again, poking the ground with a stick.

"He left you here?"

She shrugged, "He said to stay here and watch you."

The tanned man frowned. Even Kise was a part of it.

"I'll call Kise."

"Papa won't pick up his phone."

"Why's that?"

"It's dead. He left it at home to charge."

"I'll bring you home then."

"But papa's not home."

"…Meaning that there's no way in," Aomine sighed.

Frustrated, he gave up and leaned back on the bench, hands at his side. Looking up towards the sky, he took in the beauty of the stars as they twinkled above. He thought the maybe he'll just have to stay here until the sun rises and then surely Kise would come for the kid.

Just as he was thinking this though, he heard a soft rumble. At first, he dismissed it as nothing. As time passed, it grew louder and more frequent. Eventually, he looked down to find the source. Hugging herself in a tiny ball was Taki, blushing.

"Those noises," he asked, "Were they you?"

Her cheeks reddened.

"Are you hungry?"

Pouting, she refused to acknowledge it, but hunger won her over. Quickly, she nodded to his question.

Sighing, he stood up. Stretching his strong, muscular arms above his head, he began walking away from the bench. After taking a few steps, he looked behind him to find the girl still hunched over. Calling for her, he beckoned for him to follow her. Hurriedly, she ran after him.

With the small girl trailing after him, he strode around the festival, looking at the stalls. Talking out loud, he asked, "What do you want to eat? Takoyaki? Yakisoba?"

He heard no response, so he repeated himself.

Still, nothing.

Tiredly, he turned around and was baffled when he couldn't find the little girl. Carefully, he began to retrace his steps, calling out her name. After walking quite a distance, he spotted a mop of blonde hair bobbing around between the long legs of the adults. Pushing his way through the crowd of festival-goers, he reached over and pulled the girl by the sleeve of her clothes.

"Eek!"

"Don't scream."

"Oh," she looked up, "It's only you."

"Don't 'it's only you' me. Where do you think you're going?"

"I was following you."

"In what way?"

She pouted, "It's not my fault you walk so quickly!"

"You just walk slowly."

The blonde squinted her blue eyes and glared at him.

He tried to control his face and not smile. When he felt that he was going to be all right, he let go of his grip on her yukata and held onto her hand instead.

She blinked at him.

"Sorry. It's so you don't get lost again," he muttered, "Just deal with it until your idiot father shows up."

"Okay."

Aomine raised an eyebrow, surprised at how easily she accepted it. He actually felt it strange actually, how calm and mature she was being right now. Considering their last conversation, he had expected her to bite his head off and give him a hard time. Not wanting to risk anything though, he kept his mouth shut.

Together hand in hand, they continued down the street.

"So, what do you want to eat?"

"Takoyaki."

At her command, they stopped at a nearby vendor. There, the tanned man ordered one Takoyaki. As he reached into his pocket to grab cash to pay, the man running the stall smiled at him, or rather, at Taki.

"Oh, what a darling little girl," he cooed, "You look so cute in your yukata."

Taki grinned brightly at him, "Thank you!"

"How old are you?"

"Taki is five years old this year," she beamed, displaying her five fingers.

The man laughed, "You're the same age as my granddaughter then. Here, as a little treat, how about I give you another tray for free?"

"Woah! Really, Mister? Thanks a lot."

"No problem. I'll give it to this man to hold," he handed the extra tray of takoyaki to Aomine, "Is he your brother or daddy?"

The basketball pro winced and began to open his mouth.

Before he could say a word, Taki answered for them, "He's my daddy."

Aomine stood there, stunned, but the vendor gave them a hearty smile, "She has your eyes."

Still perturbed by what just occurred, the blue-haired man was barely able to mumble in agreement before the two of them left to find a spot to sit at. Dazed, they wandered to a rather isolated riverbank. Sitting down onto the grassy slope, he handed the now drooling child her takoyaki balls. Happily, she ate them quickly as soon as she sat next to him.

As she ate, he continued to watch her, which eventually began to irk the child.

After finishing half of the first tray, she asked, "Are you hungry too?"

"No," he declined her offer of a ball.

"Then why are you staring at me?"

"Earlier," he said, nervously, "When that guy asked if I was your dad or brother…"

She continued eating, showing indifference.

"You said I was…"

"You told me you were."

He ruffled his hair, puzzled, "Yeah, I did but you kind of freaked out on me."

Thoughtfully she put down her food and shifted her body to face him. Under the moonlight, her pale skin seemed translucent. Her eyes softened and her breathing slowed.

"Papa told me," she murmured into her arms, "That you didn't know so it wasn't your fault."

The tanned man was a little surprised.

"Papa said that it was entirely his fault. He told me how angry you were when you found out. If you knew that, how come you didn't tell me when I asked you?"

He looked away, sheepishly, "If I said it, it'd sound like I was blaming Kise."

"But it was papa's fault…right?" she struggled.

Shaking his head slowly, he cocked his head to face her, "I should have come back sooner. I was a coward, afraid to find out why Kise left me that day five years ago. If I… If I had gone back right away… maybe we could have avoided it all. Maybe I wouldn't have missed the first five years of your life."

Wearing a serious expression, he stared at her, "Do you hate me?"

"Papa asked me that too. You adults like to ask that huh?" She puffed her cheeks out at his question.

He chuckled, "Hey, you should have seen the face you made at me. It definitely looked like you hated me when."

"Sorry," she whispered, face flushing slightly.

"It's okay," he smiled, tousling her blonde locks, "I'll take it that you don't hate me."

"I don't."

Feeling better, he joked, "So how do you feel about me? What, you like me?"

She blushed, "Don't be gross, Ahomine!"

Gazing down, she added under her breath, "I… I don't know how I feel about you."

Although it was quiet, he heard it as if it was a shout. He pushed his lips together as he felt a dull throb in his heart. Petting the girl on her head, he tried his best to smile. It wasn't like she disliked him, so he should feel happy, right?

Sighing, he let the conversation drop. Sneakily, he stole the remaining takoyaki and poured them into his mouth.

"Hey!" she yelped, looking at him, bewildered, "Those were mine!"

"I paid for them," he stuck out his tongue.

Gaping at him, she got up and punched him lightly in the abdomen, "No! Those were the ones the nice man gave me for free!"

"No difference."

"Yes there is!"

He rolled his eyes, "Fine. How about you throw up the ones you ate, and I'll throw up the ones I ate. Then, we can swap."

"You are so gross," she fumed, storming down the hill to pout away from him.

He laughed and then followed her, "Come on, lighten up."

"My takoyaki…" she huffed.

"Come on," he urged, poking her on the side, "Let's go play some games."

"Games?" her eyes perked up as she squirmed away from his tickling hands.

"I'll show you why the only one that can beat me is me, even in stall games," he challenged.

Now excited, she took his hand and they walked back into the crowded streets of the fireworks festival. Slyly, Aomine glanced down. Seeing the girl, he felt affection well up in his chest.

He thought to himself, _it would have been nice if she liked me._

 

 

* * *

 

 

Sulking, the girl quickly jumped out of Aomine's arms and into the arms of her blonde father.

"Seriously? You're still made at me?" he said, with a hint of mirth in his voice.

She turned away, "You're mean."

"Hey, I never said I'd give it to you."

"The why'd you make me pick it?"

"I just felt like it."

She turned to glare at him, "You suck."

He laughed out loud at her bite. Thinking back on earlier, he did realize that he was being a bit mean. He had found a cork shooting game and then let her choose her favourite prize. Excitedly, she had chosen a charm bracelet that had little basketballs on it. Confidently, Aomine had shot at it, winning it in one go. The little girl had been ecstatic… to the point that he wanted to tease her. So, he didn't give the bracelet to her, and pretended that it was for himself. She had looked like the world was ending around her.

Now back in the present, she laid sulking in Kise's arms. The man who smiled fondly at her and then scolded Aomine, "You shouldn't tease her so much."

"Hey – I won it for myself."

Shifting her position, she glared at him.

"Hey, hey," he grinned, "I was just kidding. Here, give me your hand."

Expectantly, she raised her right arm. It was so tempting to tease her again.

"Aominecchi," the blonde warned.

"Yeah, yeah," Aomine exhaled, before opening the box and clasping the bracelet onto the young girl.

"Woah, it's pretty!" she exclaimed, face beaming with joy.

The two men watched contentedly as she marvelled her newest addition to her jewellery collection.

"Do I still suck?" Aomine teased.

Ecstatically, she shook her head, "No. You're awesome!"

Kise frowned, "More awesome than papa?"

She looked at both men, contemplating her choices, then, wittedly she answered, "Maybe just a bit."

The blonde man looked flabbergasted at her statement, clearly not having expected being second best. Seeing Kise's shocked expression, Aomine laughed. Taki joined in and their voices rang in the night sky. Soon, even Kise gave in and laughed with them.

 _This is nice,_ the blonde man thought,  _the three of us together._

Gradually, their laughter died down, and Taki let out a big yawn. Tiredly, she leaned back in to Kise's arms, eyes drooping.

Looking at her, Kise smiled sadly, "I guess it's time we return home now."

"Mm," she replied.

The blonde man looked back up, straight to the tanned man.

Aomine fought to keep his face composed, as he felt a familiar twinge of loneliness kick in. Struggling to make a cheerful expression, he spoke in a low voice.

"I guess…" he paused, "This is goodbye."

Taki's eyes fell on him, "No. Isn't it 'see you later?"

Aomine shook his head, "I'm leaving tomorrow."

Her eyes widened, and looked from Kise to Aomine, "I thought papa was just saying 'what if.' I thought you weren't going until next week."

"Sorry," he bit his lips, "it's been changed to tomorrow."

Her lips quivered, and she couldn't seem to believe it.

"What, you're missing me already?"

She didn't reply, and only stared at him.

Feeling that it'd be harder to leave if he stayed any longer, Aomine shifted his sight onto Kise who looked at him with teary eyes.

"Aominecchi," he whispered. His voice hurt the tanned man.

"Don't cry," he chuckled sadly, "I'll get scolded by this brat over here again."

"I can't help it," the model said, as a tear slid down his cheek.

Aomine reached a finger up to wipe it away. From his peripheral view, he saw the little girl watch them with sleepy yet attentive eyes.

With a quick movement, he lifted a hand to cover her face and then leaned over to kiss the blonde man. Kise recoiled from their sudden contact, but hurriedly succumbed to the other man's longing. Their tongues entwined, and the model nearly melted from the gentleness of their kiss. Just as quickly as he had felt the blue-haired man's lips on his own, did he feel them be replaced with the chilly cold air.

Dropping his hand, Aomine smiled faintly, eyes crinkling, "You should go now."

Kise hesitated, not wanting to leave, but the other man's expression told him that he needed to go now. Knowing that if he didn't move at this moment, he never would.

 _At the very least, I'll leave with a smile,_ Kise thought, as he tried to turn up the corners of his lips. Their goodbye didn't need to be anymore painful than it already was.

With difficulty, the blonde man turned and walked away with steady steps. Taki hung from his shoulder, watching absentmindedly as the basketball pro began to shrink. Suddenly, she heard her voice being called and she looked up.

Standing with his hands cupped around his mouth, Aomine began to open his mouth just as the fireworks flew up into the sky. Drowned by the sounds of the explosions, his words never reached her ears and he must have known that as his face grew forlorn. But even though he couldn't hear, the girl knew what he was trying to say. It was a phrase she has heard and seen mouthed to her so often that she would recognize it anywhere.

" _I love you."_

Trembling, she sank further into the embrace of the blonde man.

"Takicchi?"

Her shoulders shook, as the reality sunk in.

"What's wrong?"

"It hurts… papa," she gasped, between tears, "My chest hurts."

Realizing what she was feeling, he spoke in a knowing voice, "Mine does too."

"I don't want him to go away, papa."

Kise patted her back and then lifted her so that their noses touch. He then whispered with a pained voice, "I don't either, Takicchi."

 

 

* * *

 

 

The next day was hot. Really hot.

Scorching, humid air surrounded Aomine, and he found himself sweating even though he was only standing outside. Wiping off the perspiration on his face, he cursed to himself – something he hasn't done in a while. He had lessened his usage of foul language when he was around Taki, but now that she wasn't here, he could use it as much as he liked.

Yet, he didn't feel liberated. On the contrary, the tanned man found himself feeling more constrained than ever.

Shaking his head, he tried to push the thought of her out. Fortunately, it seemed that his plane was ready for the passengers to begin to board. Slinging his bag over his shoulder, he began walking towards the boarding area.

_"I'm sorry Aominecchi, but I can't go with you."_

The tanned man scoffed bitterly as that phrase popped up in his head. Somehow, he even found himself laughing out loud. Nearby strangers turned to look at him as if he was crazy, but he ignored them. To him, it was just too funny. Different time, different circumstances but still – five years later – he would be boarding the plane alone.

 _Maybe I'm just not cut out to be happy,_ he thought scornfully, as he walked across the pavement. Still sweating, he looked up to the sky and frowned. There wasn't a trace of sun as the clouds covered the grand sky. Gray, dark and rather depressing, the sky seemed to reflect how he was feeling at the moment. Resting his eyes, he took in a deep breath.

 _It's not so bad,_ he thought bitterly,  _at least this time I won't be shoved in._

Finally reached the stairs leading up to the large aircraft, he sighed to himself again. This was it. Here he was, leaving Japan. Biting his lips, he set on foot up onto the steps. Then another, and another. With painfully slow steps, he climbed the metal stairs.

Feeling slightly better as he accepted the outcome of his situation, the basketball pro continued to climb the stairs as they gave a metallic rang with each step. Just as he reached the halfway point on the stairs, he turned around, staring at the ground, confused. Shaking his head, he decided that he was hallucinating from lack of sleep. He could have sworn he heard his name being called. Scratching his head, he continued to climb onto the aircraft.

"…necchi…"

 _You're hearing things,_ he scowled.

"Aominecchi!"

_Okay, maybe not._

Turning around again, his eyes scanned the vast boarding zone for the owner of that voice. After a second, his azure eyes landed on a familiar blob of blonde hair sprinting up the stairs behind him.

"What the - ?! Kise?!"

Sweat dripping off his pale skin and cheeks red from what Aomine guessed to be long distance running, the blonde model continued to get closer and closer to the blue-haired man. In his arms, a pair of eyes nearly identical to the pro's own stared back. Bewildered, Aomine stood there with his jaw hanging. It wasn't until Kise was a little too close that he realized that the other man was running a little too fast.

Panicking, he tried to move out of the way with no avail, "Hey – wai – Kise! You're going to crash into m –"

"Umpf!"

Unable to stop, Kise slammed into the tanned man with immense force, knocking Aomine onto the floor of the plane. Landing roughly, Aomine swore as he laid on his throbbing behind.

"Are you okay, Aominecchi?"

He didn't know how to respond. His head was spinning from the impact and he felt a bruise forming on his arse. Groaning, he slapped his own cheeks and blinked furiously for a couple of seconds. Somehow, he managed to grunt.

Slowly, his vision stabilized and he found a beaming Kise on top of him.

"More importantly," the pro huffed, "What the hell are you doing here?"

If Aomine's tone bothered the blonde, he didn't show it. Instead, he simply smiled and held up a pair of tickets, "We're going to America, obviously."

The blue-haired man stared at him incredulously, "You're kidding."

Kise brushed his bangs back with one hand and laughed, "I am most definitely not, am I, Takicchi?"

At the mention of the girl's name, Aomine followed the other man's eyes to find the little girl fidgeting nervously on his lap. In the chaos of the moment, he hadn't notice her light weight on his chest.

"You…" he tried to speak, "Is he serious? But you said you couldn't come with me…"

Sheepishly, she looked downwards as she spoke, only glancing up at him every now and then, "That was before I found out…"

"Found out?"

"That you were Taki's daddy," she said, barely louder than a whisper.

"But you," he raised an eyebrow, "you rejected me."

"I suddenly found out that you were my daddy," she pouted, crossing her arms in protest, "I couldn't believe it…"

"Can you believe it now?"

She hesitated, and then her eyes hardened with conviction, "Yes."

Aomine could only stare at her blankly, still in shock. He wasn't sure he was hearing anything correctly.

Uncomfortable with his silence, Taki continued, "Since you came, I've always had fun everyday. You're so big, strong and cool. You can protect papa, and you are pretty good at basketball."

She paused and then added shyly, "Still not as good as me."

Snapping out of his shock, he rolled his eyes, "Where do you get all of this cockiness?"

"I got it from you!" she said in response, sticking her tongue out.

Aomine stared at her speechless, amazed at what he had just heard. His hand then shot up, and he covered his face. Looking away, he tried to cover up his growing blush.

"Woah, are you embarrassed, Ahomine?"

"Tsk, who'd be embarrassed?" he said, flicking her forehead.

"Anyways," Kise interrupted, expression loving, "Shall we go to our seats?"

Aomine's eyes widened, "You were really serious about coming?"

The blonde man scowled, "Didn't Takicchi just prove that we were?"

Still not convinced, the tanned man made eye contact with the girl again.

"Are you… are you okay with me?"

"What kind of dumb question is that? You're really an Ahomine."

He pinched her cheeks.

"Don't be cheeky with me," he tugged a little and she whined, "You… you said that you wanted a mother."

"Well I don't have one do I?"

Aomine winced, but Kise didn't react. Affectionately he simply put his hand on top of the basketball pro's.

Expression softening, Taki continued, "Instead, I have two daddies – two who love Taki lots."

As she exclaimed, he noticed something outside. To his astonishment, rays of light had broken through the mass of gray clouds. Like a miracle, one ray had entered and shone on Taki, causing something to sparkle in the sunlight. Squinting, he realized that it was the basketball trinket he had won for her yesterday.

Noticing his stare, Taki held it out and caressed the bracelet gently, "When you said that you were going to leave today… I felt lonely. My chest hurt."

She looked at him, shyly, "I didn't want you to go. I wanted to stay with you."

He listened to her, unable to find words to say.

"A-anyways," she said, fighting off a blush, "What were you trying to say yesterday?"

"Yesterday?"

"When the fireworks flew up, you said something to me."

Aomine looked away embarrassed, "Nothing."

"Liar," she pouted, "Tell me."

She pounced onto him, tickling him and he began to squirm uncomfortably.

"Haha…f-fine!" he laughed, "J-just stop tickling me."

Scowling, he looked away and lowered his voice.

"I said… I… love… you."

"I know."

Surprised, he whipped his head back to see her smiling deviously at him, realizing now that he had been tricked into saying it again.

"You brat," he roared, acting playfully mad.

Embarrassed, he scooped her up and kissed her on her cheek. She giggled innocently and then wrapped her arms around his neck.

Calming down, she nuzzled her face into his shoulder, and said in a tender tone "I love you too, Daddy."

Stunned, Aomine looked away from the two blondes, not uttering a word. Worriedly, Kise asked, "What's wrong, Aominecchi?"

"Nothing," he growled in his low, baritone voice.

Kise knew it wasn't nothing, and he was about to interject when he noticed something sparkle in the sunlight. Looking intently towards the tanned man's face, a smile crept along his pale face.

"Are you crying, Aominecchi?"

"Shut up, Kise!" he shouted, irritated, "It's just some dust in my eye."

The smile soon turned into a cheerful laugh, "Don't lie, Aominecchi! We all know that this isn't due to dust!"

Aomine whipped his head back, eyes glossy and glared at his lover, which only caused him to laugh harder. In the midst of all this though, Taki grew increasingly agitated.

"What's wrong with daddy," she said, scared, "Are you hurt?"

Giving up, Aomine yelled out with an angry expression, tears still streaking down his face, "No. I'm crying 'cause I'm happy, goddammit."

"Aw, Aominecchi admitted it," Kise teased, gasping for air between fits of laughter.

"Shut up, Kise, or I'll kick you."

"Don't talk to papa that way," Taki pouted.

Aomine frowned, "Oh, so you're still playing favourites."

"Don't be jealous, Aominecchi."

"Who'd be jealous over a brat like this!"

"I am not a brat!"

"You are too."

Playfully, Taki punched him in the stomach, "Well, I'm your brat. Deal with it, Ahomine."

"You're our brat, Takicchi."

The girl looked at him mouth wide, "Papa! Not you too!"

This time, it was Aomine's turn to burst out in laughter. His deep baritone voice filling the plane, ringing with relief and happiness. Wiping away his tears, he reached over and hugged his two most important people in the world.

After exchanging glances, the two blondes recuperated his embrace and hugged back.

As long, strong arms – as well as a pair of short delicate arms – wrapped around him, Aomine looked up to the sky and saw a patch of blue grow amidst the gray. Slowly, the sun was emerging and in a moment, they were embracing beneath clear skies. Standing there on the plane, his face relaxed and he smiled.

 _It's not like five years ago at all,_ he thought, heart filling with warmth.

Like outside, the five-year old clouds within him had dissipated and his heart was once again as serene as the clear blue sky above.

For the first time in five years, he felt truly happy.

For the first time in five years, his future looked bright.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Well. This is it. The last chapter. I don't even know what to say.
> 
> I guess first I should thank you all for staying with me until the end. I'm very grateful OTL. Thank you for bearing with my amateur writing and the long waits between chapters. I couldn't have finished this without your support. Seriously, this is the longest story I've ever written. Holy, we've finished with 50k words. (Okay I know my A/Ns are long and I even wrote a side fic but still… I wrote this much ahh!)
> 
> Anyways, I really hope you enjoy this last chapter and I hope it wraps things up nicely T^T. I had to rewrite it several times because there were just too much I wanted to add. I plan on writing an epilogue that takes place several years later to really tie most if not all loose ends. I want to release it in April but we'll see…
> 
> See you guys in my next fic! I love you all lots
> 
> Xoxo,
> 
> Azusa


	13. Epilogue Part 1

**[11 years later/Present Time]**

From every direction, the mansion hummed with the festive voices of party-goers. All around, massive decorations shone both within and out in the courtyard, shadowing the milestone event that was about to pass. Unlike the accustomed calm that typically situated itself in the air surrounding the Aomine property, today, there was an anticipating joy replacing it. Amongst the small crowd filling the all too big premises, there was not a single being not affected by the day's excitement – that is to say, save for one.

Jumping through a window on the ground floor, a tanned man effortlessly escaped the buzzing chatter that now filled his home. Scowling, he crouched, slowly making his way towards the giant oak that was his safe haven and hiding spot. Careful not to dirty the black tuxedo that he had begrudgingly donned that morning, he shuffled under the blazing sun. When he was finally under the protective arms of the tree and soothing cool of the shade, he let out a sigh.

_So the day has finally come,_ the blue-haired man thought solemnly, creases forming around his weary eyes as he slumped against the massive trunk. Looping a finger through his tie, he released the knot in one smooth action.

Rubbing his eyes with large, calloused hands, the man leaned his head back and let his heavy lids fall. Large and sluggish, his body ached, his soul tired. At the age of thirty-six, one wouldn't expect him to feel so lethargic, considering the fact that he was still miraculously playing in the national basketball league. However, even with reality pointing otherwise, Aomine couldn't help but fall helpless as his surroundings faded to black.

* * *

**[One year ago]**

The scent of fresh flowers could be smelled in the air, the sight of small buds on the swaying branches of the oak sprouting could be seen – Spring had undoubtedly come once more. Cloudless and warm, the weather out was pleasant, a nice change from the gloom of rain that had dominated the weeks before. Despite it all, there wasn't a person out in the vast courtyard, not in the pool, not on the courts. Rather, the muffled murmurs that signified life were only found behind brick walls.

Gently, a cool breeze invited itself through an opened window of the large home, ruffling the magazines left scattered along the long counter. Pages flipping, the sound of the paper moving competed with the increasingly distinct voices heard in the other room. There, in the middle of an argument, were two men.

"Come on, Kise," the taller one growled, raising a small tin can in his large hands, "Let's put a little more on."

"Like I said, Aominecchi," a higher-pitched voice scolded, "There's no room for anymore whipped cream on the cake!"

Frowning, the blue-haired man bit his inner cheek but refused to yield to the blonde, "We can just pile some more on top – see? Like this."

To prove his point, he adjusted the nozzle of the can towards the top of the already white-covered cake and topped the whipped cream with even more whipped cream.

Exasperated, a pale arm reached out, panicking, pushing the nozzle away from the poor, deformed excuse of a confectionary. Unfortunately, the sudden jerking of the can caused the cream to explode all over a not so very amused tanned man.

"What the hell, Kise," the gruff man whined, scowling as he glanced down at the cream that now painted his t-shirt. With his free hand, he roughly yanked at the roll of Bounty that stood on the marble kitchen table.

Pouting, the model shot his partner a hurt face, "You started it, Aominecchi! I told you not to put so much whipped cream on the cake. Now look at it – how are we supposed to present this to Takicchi?"

"Well, why the heck do we have to have this thing home made," the pro basketball player grunted, rubbing the white stain viciously, "It'd be so much easier to just order the damn thing."

"Takicchi specifically ordered it to be made by us, and you know we have to because – ,"

"Yeah, yeah. I know. Because it's the princess' sweet sixteen. Man, I don't get why Americans make such a big deal out of being sixteen."

Sighing, the tanned man gave up on cleaning up his shirt, grimacing as he decided that he'd bring it to the cleaners later. It would be a pity to throw it away; Taki had presented the shirt with 'Daddy' blazed on the back for his thirtieth birthday. On the other hand, Kise turned his gaze onto the 'cake.' Rubbing his tense shoulders, he leaned back and scrutinized the dessert. Sunken in on one side, over-dressed in white, extra crunchy on the bottom (read: utterly burnt)… he had to admit that it was a total failure. Despite all their efforts, he highly doubted that the girl would seriously be happy with this mess. Quite frankly, the taste was … sort of off too when they had tried it earlier. But then again, for their first time baking, it wasn't too bad, he supposed. Quietly, he wondered if he could get his cook to make one and pass it off as their own.

"Whether we understand it or not, so long as Takicchi is happy, that's all that matters, ne?" the blonde tried, trying to beautify the monstrosity that dared disguise as food.

"Tch, yeah, yeah. No matter what, that's the most important thing. Dang, living here for the past eleven years has made her into a spoiled little princess."

Rolling his eyes, Kise shot back, "You're the one that dotes on her the most, Aominecchi! You're not really in a position to say that."

"Nuh uh," the pro yawned, stubbornly denying all accusations.

"What do you mean, 'nuh uh?!' Every thing that she had wanted, you bought for her. Even if you said 'no,' you'd always go back, purchase it and then slip it into her room."

"Wasn't me," Aomine scoffed, obstinately.

"Then I guess it was Santa."

"Sounds right."

"In the middle of July?" Kise snorted, "Are you kidding me?"

"Hey, you let her go to those parties," the tanned man pouted in his defence, "Those were pretty risky."

"In what way?" the model sighed, crossing his arms.

"There were boys! Those little hormone raging jerkasses would try to do pervy stuff to her!"

"There are chaperones, and Takicchi has a good head on her shoulders. Besides, Soutacchi is always with her."

At the mention of his angel's boyfriend, Aomine only flared up, "Don't get me started on him. He's the little shit that I worry about the most."

"Souta-kun is perfectly mature and responsible," Kise defended, biting the inside of his cheeks, "Geez, what were you expecting? Her to live her life without boys?"

"Tsk, I knew I should have made her into a nun."

"Aominecchi…" the blonde growled, shooting daggers at his partner.

"Yeah, yeah, man, I was just kidding," the other man scoffed, and then muttered under his breath, "More or less."

At this the smaller man frowned but didn't comment on that remark. Giving up on the conversation, the blonde leaned against the refrigerator, tired. Since returning home, he hasn't had a moment's race. Rubbing his eyes, he sighed. Seeing him like this, Aomine approached his high school sweetheart, placing his forehead against the pale man's own, not unlike a habit of a loyal puppy. Taking the blonde's pale hands, he gazed into golden eyes worriedly. Having lived with the model for years now, the basketball pro came to learn a lot more about the blonde. Not only his favourite sweets or his habit of curling into fetal position as he slept, but also little signs of trouble that. One of which, was that a quiet Kise was always a bad sign.

"Stressed?" he whispered, eying the blonde caringly as he stroked the man's hand with his thumb soothingly.

"Sort of," Kise smiled softly, grateful for the gentle touch, "Parenthood is pretty tiring. I don't know how my mother and father did it with three."

Laughing softly, Aomine slipped his hands into Kise's, entwining slender fingers with his own, "Well, our princess is a handful."

"That, she is," Kise agreed, closing his eyes as their lips met. They shared a sweet, light kiss, soft and warm like the sun's glow. Gently, their mouths found one another again and again, soothing away all of his worries. Feathery and tender, Aomine's pecks pampered the blonde who drunk in on the sweetness that was the tanned man's lips. It felt like their first kiss, so innocent and playful, but underneath it still laid a hidden passion. Kise loved the way his partner held him like he was something fragile, precious – beautiful. Sighing contentedly, he nuzzled his way into the broad man's chest.

Seeing the way his love cuddled like a spoiled kitten, the pro's chest quivered with the vibrations of his baritone laughter. Relaxing in the smooth rocking of the other's chest, Kise closed his eyes as he listened to the lullaby that was Aomine's heartbeat.

"Hmm, it seems like Taki ain't the only one who's been over-pampered by me," the larger man murmured into the blonde's ear, who shivered in delight.

"What can I say," the blonde flirted back, breathlessly, "I'm addicted to your touch."

Giggling, Kise reached his fingers up, combing them through Aomine's hair as he planted kisses along the other's defined jaw line. Tracing the man's chilled features with his slim hands sent Goosebumps along the other's skin, hitching the larger man's breaths. Feeling warmth spread through his chest, he lightly stroke the blue-haired man's cheeks, loving the way he moved towards his touch.

"Ah," the blonde said, hands wiping off some remaining residue, "Wait, hold still. You still have some whipped cream on your face."

Efficiently sliding the cream off of tanned skin, he moved himself with intent on cleaning his hands at the sink. However, Aomine stood still as a boulder, unmoving.

"Um… Aominecchi?"

Grinning, Aomine planted his palms on opposite sides of his love, trapping him in place. Grabbing hold of the man, the basketball pro brought the cream-covered finger to his lips, and licked the full length of it slowly.

Taking in a deep breath, the blonde squirmed, trying to pull his hand away.

"A-Aominecchi… don't…not here…stop…."

"Hmm?" Aomine let out a mischievous snarl, "Stop what?"

Blushing furiously, Kise backed up until his back hit the refrigerator, "D-don't lick my finger – hey! Don't suck on it either!"

"Eh, no way," the blue-haired man complained monotonously.

"Aominecchi, I'm serious here!"

Latching firmly onto the model's finger, the pro nibbled lightly before letting go, glowering, "Hmph, fine."

Letting out a breath, Kise sighed, but his relief was short-lived.

Barely a split second after he had let the model's hand go, the basketball pro lunged forward, pushing his muscular body against the other man's leaner one. Hungrily, he wrapped his strong arms around the other's waist, pulling him closer as he nipped at the blonde's neck. Kise squirmed, but felt powerless against the stronger man's growing desire as he felt his own stir. Twitching as he felt Aomine's breath on his skin and wet tongue at the base on his neck as he sucked, the pale man had to suppress his needy moans.

"Haah… A-Aominecchi…?"

Not bothering to look up, the larger man replied as his hands made their way along the blonde's body, caressing all of his curves and edges. In his trademark, low growl, he sucked gently on the model's earring, "I only agreed to not suck on your finger… but I can taste the rest of your body, right?"

"T-that's… not…what I… meant…"

Head spinning from the heat, Kise could barely fit in a word between his heavy pants. Meekly, his palms shot up to his partner's broad shoulders to push him away but to no avail. With an animalistic snarl, Aomine only ended up pulling him closer, grinding their heated arousals together in such a way that forced Kise to let out a breathy protest.

"I… haven't seen you in so long," the blue-eyed man moaned in his husky voice that caused shivers to ripple down the blonde's spine, "I missed you. I wanted to touch you. I wanted you so badly….."

"I… missed… you, too," Kise huffed, so close to giving into the arms that wrapped so possessively around him. It had only been two weeks, but it felt like a decade. Even if it was for work, the separation it had brought the model from his family had been near intolerable. Even more, they've been busy with their daughter's needs and wants that they haven't had much time themselves. Frankly, the blonde had felt pretty lonely.

Secretly, it pleased him that he wasn't the only one feeling the distance.

Grunting, Aomine began to move rhythmically, growling animal-like, as their lower halves sparked with heat. Separated by only the flimsy cloth that made up their basketball shorts, Kise could feel their cocks both stiffen at the contact. Digging his face into the natural curve of the other's shoulder, he sucked desperately on the defined collar bone before him. Nipping and biting as his lover let out low, guttural moans.

"You're hard," he breathed, nearly resigned as his amber eyes flared with need.

Smirking, the taller man leaned down and pressed his lips against the blonde's own, "So are you."

As light peckings deepened, Aomine's hands naturally felt its way down, ducking under the paler man's shirt. Fingers inching slowly up his lover's body, he smiled as Kise moaned into their kiss when two fingers teasingly pinched a perk nipple.

"Nng…ahh…" the blonde groaned, pressing himself as close to the refrigerator as humanely possible, finally having completely given up. Bringing a knee upwards, he pushed the hulk of a man away, looking up with steamy eyes. Kneading slowly, he watched with lust as the tanned man's face flushed with desire, cock throbbing at his touch. Biting his lips, blue eyes clouded with pleasure before the pro could no longer resist.

"I want you so much right now," Aomine growled, hands tugging down at the other's pants, pulling down a pair of navy blue boxers in the process. Breathing heavily, azure eyes glazed lazily over the sight before him as a naughty smile played on his face.

"Don't just stare," Kise huffed, displeased with the sudden cold air replacing hot lips.

"Sorry," he muttered, palming Kise's pulsing member, "But… I couldn't get over how much I wanted to take you right away."

"Ahh…hnng…geez," the blonde moaned as the blue-haired man pumped his length slow and steadily, "You're just as much of a horndog as you were as a teen."

"Nah, I think I'm nothing like how I was back then."

"..Hah… H-how so...mmf…."

Giving the model a contemplative look as he moved his hand along the other's cock at an increasingly faster speed, Aomine shifted their positions so Kise was bent over the table, back towards the tanned man, "I'm an even bigger horn dog now then before."

Without a warning, the tanned man then proceeded to stick a long, slender finger into his lover, lubricated with the blonde's own pre-cum. Aomine felt pleased with himself as he felt the model's body jerk, succumbing to his touch. Surprised, the paler man let out a yelp that was quickly covered with a moan of pleasure. Attacked with the combined sensation of being pumped and penetrated with the tanned man's fingers, the amber-eyed man wasn't sure if his legs would keep his body up.

"Ah…mmph…nng…m-more," Kise whimpered, knuckles turning white as his fingers gripped desperately onto the countertop.

Complying, the basketball pro stuck another coated finger into the other, grunting as he felt the walls swallow them effortlessly. Hot, throbbing muscle encompassed his fingers, tightening at his touch.

"Shit, Kise," he exhaled shakily, sucking on the model's neck, "You feel so good."

Slowly, as if not to hurt the other with jerky movements, he slid in and out of the model, painfully slowly. Hot desire coursed through the model's lower half, wanting,  _needing_ more. Desperately, he moved his hips back and forth, plunging the tanned man's fingers deeper inside of him.

"Nn, ah… not…enough," Kise stuttered, drooling slightly from the increasing lust welling inside of him, "M-more…Aominecchi, J-just put… it in…already."

"Put what in?" Aomine teased, equally as breathless as he enjoyed the rose dust the blonde's cheeks.

"Your…. Cock… goddamn it," Kise nearly screamed, sexually frustrated.

Smirking, the taller man rolled his palms over Kise's other cheeks, spreading them apart as the smaller man spread his legs. Removing his fingers, he began to pump his own member roughly, reaching for the olive oil next to them. Lathering his hands with a generous amount of make-shift lube, Aomine covered his length with it subsequently. Grunting, he grabbed hold of the blonde's hips, sliding into his opening which welcomed him fully. Effortlessly, his large flesh entered his lover, and Kise couldn't help but scream as he felt himself filled to the brim. Squirming from the sudden heat that pounded into him, he squeezed his legs together, making more friction. At the sudden pressure, the tanned man groaned, thrusting deeper into the other at an increasingly frenzied pace.

"Nn…h-harder," the breathless blonde begged, pushing himself towards the blue-haired man, "Fuck me harder!"

Biting into his sleeve, the blonde's hips moved in rhythm as the pro rammed into his ass, pushing deeper with every thrust. Hands gripping harder onto pale flesh, Aomine increased his speed, pulling the blonde down onto him until it reached the base of his dick. Forcing himself as far in as he could, he smiled in contentment as he watched his own cock being swallowed deeply into the other man.

"Nn…Ahnn. Right… there. Mmf, Aominecchi…!"

He was close – they both were and knew it. Panting, the basketball pro wrapped his arms around Kise's waist, and began to pump the neglected cock once again, causing the man's spine to arch. Thrusting harder to match the speed of his hand, the tanned man began to lose his sight as they came closer and closer.

"Ah….ahhh! I…I'm ...coming…Aominecchi," Kise shouted, unable to hold it in anymore. Gripping the table more tightly than he has ever gripped anything in his life, he clung on as it was the only thing keeping him upright. Through amber eyes he saw white as pleasure coursed through his body.

"Fuck," the taller of the two flinched, feeling himself let go as the walls tightened around his length. Releasing into his lover, he willed himself not to collapse on top of the blonde, instead opting to snuggle against the model's back. Both entirely exhausted, they stood there, bent over, soaking in their after glow. Bodies trembling, they took a moment to catch their breath, oblivious to their surroundings.

Slowly, the tanned man slid his cock out of his lover's ass, watching blissfully as he saw his cum drizzle down slightly rosy cheeks. At the sight, he felt his length twitch and the lust returning. Carefully, he lowered their bodies onto the floor, looking down onto the blonde's body from above.

"Shit, Kise…I love you."

"I love you, too," the blonde whispered back, wrapping his legs around the man's waist, softly nibbling on his lips.

Still filled with desire, the tanned man pulled the man's hips closer, grinding their hardening cocks together. Skin against skin sent electric currents running down their bodies, and it took all of his willpower to not just ram into the blonde's ass again.

"Ready for round two?" Aomine asked, quietly into the blonde's ear.

"No way," Kise laughed, pushing him away gently, despite passion in his eyes, "Takicchi will be home at any moment."

"Oh, come on. She probably won't be home until late."

"No, Aominecchi, we need to clean up."

"Kise…"

Sulking, the basketball pro lifted Kise's wifebeater up, exposing taut nipples. Still starving for more, he began to suck greedily.

"Nn…haah, s-stop…"

"Not a chance~"

"S-seriously," the blonde whimpered, eyes glazed back from the afterglow and lust from the contact of their lower halves, "I mean it this time."

"That's never stopped me before, so just quit fighting," he snarled playfully, biting lightly.

"Mm…nn…haah…C-come on… I…h-heard a sound…."

"You're imagining things."

"No…r-really…."

"What," the tanned pro growled, pausing for a moment to listen. He was only greeted with silence, "See? There's nothing."

"Eh? But for sure I – "

As if on cue, the unmistakable sound of a key turning inside the lock cut through the air, freezing the two men in place. In the complete silence, the door creaked open and there was a light shuffling. The ruffling of clothes, the quiet murmurs – they prayed to god that it wasn't who they thought it was. Shutting their eyes closed, they prepared their hearts for what was to come. Swearing, their stomachs dropped as they braced for the death-like phrase.

" _I'm home."_

Taki.

_We're screwed._

Skittering about on the tiled floor, the two men fell into a complete panic mode, desperate to clean the area. In a near mental breakdown, Kise found himself getting increasingly annoyed as he felt sticky liquid slide down his milky thighs. No matter how much he tried to clean, it felt like there was a never ending river of semen inside of him.

Frustrated, the blonde lashed out, keeping his voice to a low hiss, "Damn it, Aominecchi, pass me my pants!"

"Where the hell is it?" the pro growled back, trying to find his own as well.

Snapping his head around the stained floors, he finally found the discarded articles behind them. In a rush, he grabbed onto Kise's shorts first, tossing them carelessly towards the other man without regard for the fact that his hands had been sullied barely a minute ago. Catching it in a hurry, Kise tried to put on the shorts over his boxers when he realized that they were not the same as before, "Ah, you idiot! Don't wipe your hands on my shorts! It's all white now."

"Fuck, it was your own cum to begin with!" Aomine snarled back, remembering to wipe his hands only a little bit too late.

Frowning, the blonde began to wave his hands frantically as the sounds of footsteps got louder, "Dear god, what in the world am I going to do?"

"Just throw them in the trash and stick with your boxers," Aomine shot back, hurriedly wiping the remnants of sperm off of every possible surface.

"Damn it, Aominecchi! I told you no. I told you that I didn't want to. I told you that I –" trailing off, the blonde shut his mouth abruptly as a face popped up.

Standing at the doorframe leading into the kitchen, a familiar blonde, blue-eyed teenager stood, arms linked around a crimson-eyed boy. Both stood frozen, bewildered expressions plastered on their young faces. Obviously, they sensed something had happened, no thanks to the scent of sex still lingering in the air. Luckily, it didn't seem that they realized just what had passed.

"Um… hi…" the girl spoke, cautiously as she scanned the room, azure orbs landing on the dishevelled pair, "I'm…home."

Nodding his head towards the duo, the boy also greeted them with a calm voice, displaying none of the surprise before, "Ryouta-san, Daiki-san…"

""… Welcome home, Takicchi…and long time no see," Kise chirped, nervously, thinking that it not only sucked that his daughter was here but her boyfriend as well, "How are you, Soutacchi?"

"…Wonderful," he replied, expression not changing. Canting his head, he tried to read the mood of the room.

In place of his vice, the girl's eyes wondered, still bewildered as her sight landed on the mess on the vountertop, "So… is that cake?"

"C-cake?" Kise's voice cracked, realizing a little too late that his surprise was sort of ruined.

Snapping out of her confusion, Taki skipped forward to gaze at the whipped cream monster, "Is that for me?"

"N-no, hahaha," the blonde exclaimed, grabbing the cake quickly, hiding it from eye's view. Shooting a glare at the tanned man, he ushered the other to help cover him as he shoved the confectionary into the large fridge.

At a loss, the tanned man shifted from one foot to another, unable to figure out what to say. Stammering, he forced whatever words gracious enough to seep out.

"Oh, uh... that … was … something… that isn't…for… your birthday."

_No fucking duh, you dumbass,_ the blue-eyed man silently cursed, kicking himself inside his head.

"Right, daddy, sure…" the blonde girl nodded slowly, corners of her lips tugging slightly upwards. Clearly, she didn't believe him, which made Aomine want to slap himself more, "Anyways, I have something to tell you guys today!"

"That's lovely, Takicchi," Kise sang, gesturing towards the hall, "How about we discuss it in the living room."

He was desperate to get the pair out, and to wipe off any traces of their activities in the spacious kitchen. Shame evident on his face, he wanted nothing more then to take a shower and bleach the house of what just happened. Scowling, he scolded himself for his lapse of control.

Tilting her head in puzzlement, the girl only stared at him worriedly, "Well, I don't mind but… why are you in just your underwear, papa?"

"Ah well," he choked," Papa's pants got a little dirty."

"I assume that whatever is on Daiki-san's shirt sullied your pants?"

The boy had commented without thinking, and then immediately regretting it as something clicked in his head, "Damn. Forget I asked. Never mind, actually."

Curious, Taki joined in, pointing to Aomine, "Oh, now that you point it out… What's that white stain on your shirt, daddy?"

"Taki," Souta shook his head, face turning slightly pale, "You shouldn't ask questions you don't want answers to."

"But you just did!"

"I know. That's why I took it back."

Watching the two, Aomine frowned at how highly perceptive the boy was. Shuffling awkwardly, he watched in horror as a face of confusion turned to that of recognition on his daughter's face.

Stammering, she took a step back, "What do you…oh.  _Oh_. Wait…no… you're kidding, right? Oh my god. No. Don't tell me it's – okay you know what? Forget it. You were right.  _Oh my god._ "

Seeing his daughter's face turn tomato red, Aomine's mouth moved on its own, trying to defend himself but accidentally saying the wrong thing, "You brat, don't mess with her head. This isn't cum."

" _Jesus Christ,_  no – daddy, shut up."

A look of disgust painted itself onto her face.

Mentally, the kicking turned into stabbing as he tried to clear up the misunderstanding, "But Taki, it's not what you – "

And failed again.

"LA LA LA LA LA, I can't hear anything!" she yelled, hands covering her ears.

"It's just whipped cream!" Aomine shouted, unable to hold his irritation back.

At this the girl yelled back louder, exiting the room hurriedly, "Shit, daddy, I really don't need to hear about what kinks you and papa have!"

Aomine tried to reach out to her but she avoided his grab. In the end, the two men were left alone in the kitchen, one pant-less, both pride-less. Listening as her footsteps faded down the hall, they stood flabbergasted at what just happened. Shamed, they lowered their heads and collapsed onto the floor.

"This is too much," Kise whined, covering his guilt-stricken face, "Kill me now."

"Tch," Aomine agreed, wishing that he could just erase the children's memories, "Damn it, I swear to god, I'm going to kill that brat of Tetsu's."

Neither knew however, just how close the tanned father was about to come in accomplishing that.

Several showers and an agonizing silence later, the two fathers found themselves sitting awkwardly on their white leather love seat. Fiddling with their thumbs, eyes were on anything but their child who sat opposite to them. Regarding them with her large, oceanic eyes, she bit the inside of her cheek and sighed. Brushing a lock of blonde hair from her face and tucking it behind her ear, she shifted herself slightly towards the edge of the sofa. With a slight cough, she cleared her throat, bringing three pairs of oddly coloured eyes to her.

"Err, well," she exhaled slowly, wiping her palms on her black skinny jeans, "So… actually, you know what? This is kind of awkward… maybe we should talk another day."

"Ah no," Kise quickly interjected, "Say what you need to, Takicchi. Let's just…um, forget about what happened earlier, okay?"

Twirling her hair with a slender finger, Taki nodded, equally as intent on pushing that memory to a far, dark corner of her brain, "Okay then, um, well, what I wanted to talk to you about was my birthday…."

"I said that the cake has nothing to do with your birthday," Aomine blurted, startled, brain still buzzed from the earlier proceedings.

"Yeah, daddy," the girl laughed, "I know. I wasn't going to bring that up."

"Oh," he murmured, silently shrinking into the background.

Shaking her head, the teen couldn't help but smile at her fathers' anxiety and failure in keeping secrets. Relieved that the tense atmosphere was dissipating, she squeezed the hand that had entwined itself around hers. Glancing at Souta, she felt a faint warmth wash over her as ruby irises stared back at her lovingly.

"Okay, anyways," she chirped, slightly relaxed by her lover's silent encouragement, "Daddy, Papa, you remember how you said that I could have anything I wanted for my sweet sixteen?"

"Of course, Takicchi," the blonde replied right away, unwaveringly.

Aomine on the other hand scoffed, "So long as you don't ask to be better than me at basketball. We're not genies or anything so impossible things are out."

"Daddy,  _shut up,_ " the girl spat playfully, throwing a pillow at him.

In retaliation, he threw one back, hitting her square in the face.

Pouting, Taki stood up, "What was that for?!"

Sticking his tongue out, the tanned man shrugged his shoulders, "You started it!"

"Geez, no matter how old you get, you don't get any wiser! You're still Ahomine."

"Don't call your dad an idiot, you idiot daughter," Aomine said, throwing another pillow.

"What the – you're such a hypocrite," she shouted, declaring war as she walked over to pull his tanned cheeks, "Who's the idiot now, huh?"

In a very  _(im)_ mature fashion, the pro reached up and began tickling the girl who abruptly fell over onto him.

"Hmm, it looks like you, doesn't it? Once a brat, always a brat."

"Nnn," the teen wriggled, trying to hold in her laughter, "S-top it, you stupid ganguro. It tickles!"

"Say mercy," he shouted, smiling excitedly.

"N-never!" she laughed, trying to tickle him back.

To her dismay, her arms were easily held down by the muscular man's. Despite standing at 170 cm tall and sporting a lean, toned figure, her strength paled greatly against her hulk of a father. Easily defending against her attacks, the basketball pro began to laugh at the scene of the girl trying to wriggle out. Puffing out her cheeks, the girl frowned as she saw that her fingers never reached his skin. To add insult to injury, her body was soon subject to uncontrollable laughter.

"P-papa, Souta! Help me," she chuckled, slapping away the tanned man's hands to no avail.

Aomine, laughing, cackled menacingly, "Hah, no one can save you now, princess."

"I give, I give! Geez," she giggled, climbing desperately over the blue-haired man's legs. Still chuckling, she wrapped her arms around Kise's neck who then hugged her close protectively.

"Now, now," the blonde chastised, "Hands to yourself, Aominecchi."

"Don't ruin the fun, Kise," the other man whined, folding his arms.

Glaring at him, the blonde didn't relent, "This conversation will get nowhere if I let you tickle her to oblivion."

Raising his hands in resignation, the pro pouted, "Fine, fine."

Then, Aomine turned his gaze towards the girl and smiled slyly, "But afterwards, I'm going to tickle you like crazy."

"You just try," Taki barked, wagging her tongue at the man, taunting him.

"Come on, you two," Kise scolded, bopping both of them on their heads, "Behave yourselves."

"Tch, look at what you did," Aomine scowled.

"Me?" the blonde girl gasped in exasperation, "You're the one acting like a five year old!"

Sighing, Kise rolled his eyes, "Children, please."

"Yes,  _mom,_ " the tanned man-child commented, immediately shutting his mouth once the model shot him a look. Despite their little spat, the tanned father and daughter shared a look, slightly giddy at irritating the usually peppy model. Clicking his tongue, the blonde then shifted his attention onto the fifteen turning sixteen year old in his arms.

"So, Takicchi, did you decide what you wanted as a present?"

"Hm? Ah, yeah," she remarked, eyes focusing uncertainly. Suddenly, a feeling of unease fell over her usually confident self.

"Well?" Kise asked, patiently but with anticipating eyes.

"Um, erm… well…"

"Yes?"

Shaking her head, she slapped her cheeks, before looking at both of her parents. Standing up, she took a deep breath and smiled.

"Just to confirm, you guys said anything, right?"

"Of course," Kise smiled, wondering why the girl kept repeating that. Meanwhile a small voice in the back of his head warned him that he probably never should have made such a promise in the first place.

_Well, what could go wrong though?_ He comforted himself. It wasn't as if money was a huge issue, considering how much they made. In the very worst case scenario, he might have to borrow some money from the sadistic couple, but even that he could live with. Unfortunately, as reality would have it though, her desired 'present' had nothing to do with materialistic desires though… at least not directly.

"Well then," she spoke, slowly and deliberately, but with an assuredness that was beyond her age, "Daddy, Papa, I want to get married."

_Married… huh…_

_Aw fuck it all._

This was so much worse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: 
> 
> TBC in part 2 ;D
> 
> Hey… I DIDN’T FORGET ABOUT THIS!! I know I’ve delayed this like crazy but believe me, I wrote and rewrote this so many times… it never turned out the way I envisioned it sob. Finally, I’ve finished writing it but it’s been split into 2 parts because somehow, it’s gone beyond 12 000 words OTL. Anyways, I hope you’ve enjoyed part one (which was basically the setting up and shameless smut that I really wanted to write lmao). Thanks for reading and reviews are always appreciated *hugs*
> 
> P.S. Part 2 will be released early next week if not earlier. I PROMISE THIS TIME. I’VE ALREADY WRITTEN THE ROUGH COPY AND I ACTUALLY LIKE IT THIS TIME.


	14. Epilogue Part 2

_Takicchi wants to get married._

_My baby girl wants to get married._

_Married…._

_I… must have heard wrong…_

_Right?_

Staring blankly down at the child on his lap, the blonde man could only blink at her words. Marriage… that… it wasn't that he had never thought about it but … for it to happen so soon was just….

In his mind, she was still so small, so young. It seemed as if barely a year has passed since she was no large than a basketball herself. Only a short time since she couldn't even support her own head, since she spoke her first word, took her first step – where had all that time gone? But even so, it wasn't as if she was an adult yet. At his age, she was like a baby bird taking its first flight away from home.

_The girl's only fifteen going sixteen,_ Kise thought, cringing at the thought. Even if the law stated that she could marry, it was simply ridiculous. Shaking his head, he spoke with a confused tone.

"Takicchi, I think I must have heard wrong."

"No, papa," Taki said, once again with an unmoving firmness, "I want to get married."

_Ah, damn it._

Still in disbelief, he tried to persuade her out of it, "But sweetheart, isn't it sort of too early?"

"I'll be sixteen. That's the legal age to get married so long as we have parent consent."

"Yes… but… you could wait a little longer…."

"I can't."

_And that's that,_ Kise thought, inwardly panicking.

Looking into her eyes, he could see the stubborn look in her eye, a trait she shared with her tanned father. When she looked like that, it meant that she was going to be unyielding, until she got her way. Conflicted, the blonde continued asking questions, dumbfounded.

"You… you'll be marrying… whom?"

Rolling her eyes, Taki said sarcastically, "The prime minister of Canada."

"That's nice," Kise croaked, mouth on auto-pilot.  _Maybe the man was a nice fellow_ , he thought, brain clearly malfunctioning.  _Ah, but to be prime minister, the man would have to be pretty old_.

Actually, it wasn't so nice after all.

"Damn it, papa. I was kidding," the teen scoffed, displeased by her father's lethargic behaviour, "The person that I'll be marrying… he's sitting right in front of you."

Following the girl's line of sight, Kise's eyes landed on the eerily motionless boy who sat a little bit straighter as their eyes met. Hands curled into fists by his side, Souta took in a deep breath before nodding at the two men. With a clear, determined tone, he opened his mouth.

"I'd like to first clarify that this isn't a joke. The two of us… we – "

"Don't fuck with me."

In a matter of seconds, an arm shot out, grabbing the boy by the collar. Automatically, Souta's hands gripped onto the toned arm, struggling to breath. Through squinted eyes, the boy couldn't help but cower slightly at the sight before him. Staring back with a murderous gaze was the tanned basketball pro. Muscles rippling, he held the teen by the collar, effortlessly.

Petrified, Taki dashed from her spot next to an equally shocked blonde and gripped her blue-eyed father, panicked, "Daddy! You're killing him. Let him go!"

To her horror, it seemed as if her pleas fell on deaf ears. Aomine remained unrelenting in his hold, danger gleaming from his cold eyes. It sent shivers down her spine… reminding her of how Kise had looked when he nearly killed the man who nearly killed her all those years ago.

"Daddy," she said once more, little more than a whimper, "Please stop…."

At her pained voice, his grip grew uncertain, wavering slightly. It wasn't much, but it was enough. Taking the opportunity, Souta swung his legs, connecting against the solid chest of Aomine's. Surprised, he man let go and the boy fell onto the floor, gasping for air. Understanding that he had just been one upped, Aomine approached the fallen figure, but Taki had moved more quickly. Flinging her arms around Souta, she placed her body between the two.

"Don't hurt him anymore," she glared, turning her head slightly to shoot her father a look of resentment. Then, she looked over to Kise, who finally gathered his bearings.

Tentatively, he walked over to his lover, taking his hand and calmly dragged him back onto the couch. While Aomine didn't make any moves, the blonde was on guard. After all, while both men were always fiercely protective, it was definitely the tanned man who was the more extreme in his ways. Once, during a school trip in which the basketball pro showed up as a parental volunteer, he had threatened bodily harm to all the male students who dared approach. The children had been in the second grade. After that incident, Kise never allowed the man to ever go on the trips again.

Honestly, even if he himself disapproved of the idea of early marriage, Kise found that he bad begrudging respect for the youth in front of him. Considering the sheer intimidation brought on by even dating their daughter, no boy had lasted as long as Souta had. But then again, the red-eyed boy had been along her side since they were young. Even now, after nearly facing death, the boy's eyes remained clear, determined. His courage remained unfazed, and he only looked towards the girl with kindness as she fussed over him. Kise watched with mixed feelings as he saw the boy soothe her worries.

_That used to be me,_ he thought, wistfully.

Eventually, with the frantic girl finally settling down, Souta shifted his body. Getting onto his knees, he looked towards the fearsome couple without any fear at all, as if what had just transpired never happened. Chin up, hands on his thighs, he spoke out with a strong voice.

"In basketball… I know that I am no match for you. To Taki, I lose, meaning that I stand no chance against either one of you. Nor can I challenge you in knowledge or the arts I've learned as I'd have an unfair advantage. So, I guess this left me in quite the dilemma. After pondering what to do, I decided that I could only hope to talk you into this."

Watching her boyfriend speak, Taki got onto her knees as well, hand on the boy's clenched fist. Smiling softly, she looked at him with a reassuring smile. At the sight of the two, Kise felt Aomine's grip tighten and he flinched. Sighing, he took it upon himself to urge the boy to continue, lest the tanned man crush his hand before the conversation ended.

Nodding, the boy resumed, "I am not particularly talented. I am not a genius like Father, nor do I have any hidden talents like Dad. I know that Taki is too good for me, especially in your eyes. But for her, I always want to try harder. I don't have confidence in anything… but… I know that no one could love her more. So with that said, I'd like to formally ask for your daughter's hand in marriage."

His last words hung in the air, silence having befallen in the room. Each person was digesting the youth's words in their own way, with Kise not sure how he should react. Unfortunately, it seemed that he didn't have to.

Still wearing an irritated expression, the tanned man clicked his tongue and released his steel hold on the blonde's hand. Panicked, Kise reached out to stop the man as he stood up. Aomine only brushed him off though, walking towards the two teenagers. Visibly, Taki made an attempt to shield Souta once more, but he held her back. Instead, he made eye contact with the tanned man, showcasing his will.

After a moment of contemplation, Aomine's lips parted ever so slightly.

"How touching," he murmured, eyes hardening, definitely not meaning what he said. Staring down at the boy, he spoke, barely above a whisper, "If you have anymore sappy shit to spout, save it. Because this is happening over my dead body, bastard."

With that, the pro stormed out of the room, slamming his foot up the staircase. Stunned, the three sat for a while, unmoving, before they realized what exactly just happened. First to break the spell was Taki as she immediately began fawning over her lover.

"Souta," she murmured, concern spilling out of her ocean-like eyes, "Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere? God, I'm so sorry."

"It's nothing. His reaction was to be expected, after all," the boy laughed, running a hand through his own cerulean hair. Smiling softly, he stroked her cheek, reassuring her silently.

Frowning and not entirely convinced, she leaned into his touch, nuzzling his hand, "I'll talk to him. You just sit here and relax, 'kay?"

"No, it's fine," Souta hugged her, "I'll leave for today. Might be better for him to calm down a bit, or else I might really end up dying."

"Don't joke about that…" she warned, lips falling into a pout.

"Wasn't a joke," he teased, twirling a lock of her long blonde hair around his fingers before planting a kiss on her forehead, "And I guess I shouldn't have done that. Ryouta-san looks pretty murderous today, too."

"He's not going to hurt you," Taki said, wrapping her arms around his waist, chin leaning on his shoulders, "Right? Papa?"

Flinching at her commanding tone, Kise raised his hand in resignation, face softening. He let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding and relaxed a bit.

"Anyways," the ruby-eyed boy sighed, softly parting for the slim teen, "I'll be going now. Don't give your dads a hard time, all right?"

"No promises," she whined, face dejected, "I'll see you out."

"No need," he smiled, patting her head caringly, "You two… should talk it out."

Like that, the girl watched as his back disappeared from the room, heart dropping as the footsteps faded quietly until they ceased completely. An unnerving silence replaced the living room, and Taki couldn't take it. With Kise following her up the stairs, she entered her room, slamming it closed in anger. Quietly, her blonde father crept in, feeling awkward with the tense atmosphere.

* * *

 

Back against the wall and head stuffed into a pillow, the girl sat, face covered by her long, blonde hair. Through the silence, he could hear the muffled sounds of crying, stabbing his heart.

"I can't believe daddy did that," she whispered. Kise's heart broke from her heartbreak.

Feeling troubled on whether to follow his paternal instincts to comfort his baby or to stick up for Aomine, Kise tentatively approached the not so little girl with a calming tone, "Well, this was sprung on us rather suddenly."

"He didn't need to choke him like that," the blonde teen yelled, eyes welling with frustrated tears, "What if Souta hates me now…?"

Arrow through his heart, the man tried to push the guilt away, embracing the child in his strong arms, "Now, now, he wouldn't give up for such a thing."

"How would you know?" she cried, clutching onto his shirt.

"Because I love you very much, and I know that if he does love you as much as he claims, he wouldn't tuck his tail behind him and run away."

"…."

"Do you not trust him, Takicchi?"

"That's not it…."

"Then what makes you so afraid?"

"Afraid…" she thought for a moment, cuddling close for her father's warmth. It soothed her, the reverberations that shook through his chest as he spoke. He made her feel safe, "I just… don't know. Marriage… I brought it up first. I didn't want him to leave me…."

"And why would he do that?" Kise cooed, playing the role of therapist, albeit a rather intimate one.

"Because he really is…."

"Takicchi?"

"He plans to leave to study abroad, working with Sei-kun all the while he studies."

"Where exactly is he planning to go?"

"I don't know. He said that they won't be staying in one place for long, visiting the different firms of the Akashi Corporation."

"That…is well… quite impressive."

"I know…Souta…He's doing this because he doesn't have any self confidence. Papa, you saw right? Even if he's the top of the class, winning national competitions or claiming top prizes – for some reason he always feels like he isn't as good as me. But honestly, the only thing I can beat him in is basketball."

"That… well, you did leave quite an impression on him as a child."

"That's not it papa! It's like…like… ah, I don't know!"

Smiling forlornly, Kise sighed, "Well, it could be a side effect from his circumstances. Akashicchi, he is proficient in everything he does. It's quite taxing when people expect you to perform as well, if not exceed such a person. Considering how he insisted on following you to America and start all over, he must have worked hard to become such a talented person. It must have been hard to be pressured to excel even when everyone around him had such an advantage over him."

"He wasn't like this before…."

"Ah well, in Japan, you two were still very young. In the world, as you grow older, there will always be people better than you. That is something that I learned quite well when playing basketball," Kise laughed, reminiscing about his past.

"Still," she murmured softly, eyes staring out the window, clutching onto her basketball charm bracelet, "He should be more sure of himself. He's kind, sweet, gentle…always there for me… no matter where I am… he'll always come running."

Smiling gently, she rested her head on his chest and closed her eyes, as if remembering a warm memory. Somewhere inside, Kise felt a piece of him die off. The look on her face… it was certainly an expression of love. It hurt, when he realized that it was such a familiar expression. Almost, he thought, did it mirror his face when he was sixteen. How he had felt for Aomine, his little girl now felt for her own love. Watching her, Kise shook his head, giving in.

"Ne, Takicchi," he whispered, holding her tight as he had when she was young, "You really love him lots, don't you?"

"Yeah," she mumbled back, hiding her face.

"Even more than you do towards papa and Aominecchi?"

"That's different!"

"Mm, how so?"

"You two are my family, my precious dads. It's just... different, okay?"

Chuckling, he rested his chin on her head, "To Aominecchi and me, it actually makes no difference. Do you know the story behind walking a bride down the aisle to the groom? It symbolizes handing you over to your husband… that all the obligations and responsibilities over you would be transferred to him."

Taki frowned at this, "I'm not property to be exchanged."

"I know," he nodded, "But what my point is… is that it feels like Soutacchi is taking you away from us. That this will be goodbye."

"You know that that isn't what's happening," Taki murmured, absentmindedly tracing figures on her father's back. It calmed her, the feeling of his strong body holding hers. To her, he was invincible. A forever constant in her life, from birth until now, as she was in his. Now, with this idea of marriage, a monumental change would occur and Kise couldn't help but fear what this meant towards their constancy.

Wearing a solemn expression, he sighed, "Are you sure? When you get married, you'll be off to start your own family. You'll be leaving with him, and over time you won't visit as often."

"It won't, papa," she pleaded, eyes filled with worry as she looked into amber eyes. His anxiety reaching her perfectly, "I will visit, often. I'll call, I'll write – I won't let you be lonely."

"That's not exactly it, Takicchi," Kise laughed, but smiled a bit more happily than before.

"Papa, you know I love you and Daddy lots. Trust me…"

Disengaging her arms from his body, he gently left their embrace, "I do trust you, Takicchi. I just…worry. It can't be helped. As long as you are my baby, I will always be concerned over you."

From where her body once met warmth was now replaced by sudden cold air. Looking up, Taki sent the man a look of confusion and reached out to hold onto him.

"Once you leave us, there may be times when both Aominecchi and I won't be able to be there for you. Instead, it'll be up to Soutacchi to comfort you."

"Why?" Taki pouted, not liking the lack of warmth.

"We may be physically too far," Kise said, stroking her hair before beginning to walk away, "Or it may simply be because you'll need to be strong for someone else. One day, you'll have children of your own… and you'll need to be the wall that supports them as we do for you. You wouldn't be able to just run away to us, could you?"

Taking a moment, she considered that possibility. Kise could see that she understood now what this meant. This would only be the beginning of change… and once it happened, it wouldn't be so easy to return to her days of innocence. Sure, the changes may not happened right away, but not much would remain untouched by change as the years go on by. As she leaves for the real world, she will only grow and morph into the woman she was meant to be. Smiling with a mix of anticipation and nostalgia, he leaned against the door, hand on the knob.

"With that said, it won't be as if we won't do our best to be with you, Takicchi," he murmured reassuringly, "When you go through hard times, we will support you with everything we have. When you are happy, we will smile with you. No matter what, you will always be our precious baby girl. So if you think that this is the right choice, I will give my blessing."

"Papa…"

"But," he turned, opening the door slowly, "I'm not the one you still need to convince."

There, sitting with his back that was once against the door, was a familiar backside that Taki knew only too well. Broad shoulders that she used to cling on faced her, and suddenly she felt rather emotional. Despite his anger, he was there. Always, there. She knew that this was his way of apologizing. After all, after every fight, he'd always sit by her door, listening to her as she cried. Then he'd ask to come in, telling her that he was sorry and she'd believe him. Hugging, they'd make up. Now, he sheepishly turned, having lost all the anger on his face. This was the father she knew, with his chiselled features and warm blue eyes. Wiping away her tears, she watched him as he squirmed, embarrassed to have been caught.

Coughing, he shot a glare at the blonde man who towered over his sitting body, "Way to expose me, Kise."

"You should have just came in," Kise shrugged, coolly, "Mr. Eavesdropper."

"Talking as if it was that easy," Aomine scoffed, avoiding eye contact with the girl. Still feeling awkward, he hung around the doorway without entering or exiting.

"Whatever," Kise chirped, sending a wink to Taki, "Anyhow, he's all yours, Takicchi. Don't you try to run away now, Aominecchi."

"Who's running now…" the tanned man muttered, shifting his weight nervously.

Obviously, he was uncomfortable with the situation, and Taki sensed this. Even still, he didn't turn away – he was facing it, facing  _her_ , head on. Never did he run from her….

Exhaling slowly, the teen girl moved to get up, trying not to smile when her giant of a father winced as she approached. Hilariously enough, her tough as nails dad was more afraid of his daughter's scorn than anything else. Trying to be as nonchalant as possible, the blonde teen simply tapped his chest and smiled.

"Come on, daddy. Let's play one-on-one."

* * *

Having changed into exercise clothes, Taki reached up to tie her hair back as it'd get in the way with its length. Seeing her father approach though, she chuckled softly, reliving a certain memory. Grinning mischievously, she spoke, "Hey, daddy, I can't play basketball if my hair isn't tied up."

Canting his head to one side, the tanned men eyed her strangely, "Then tie it."

Just like her memory, his words came out exactly the same as it had over a decade ago. Faking a pout, the not so tiny blonde pouted, "I can't. Do it for me."

"Geez, what a pain. Don't you usually have your hair already in a pony-tail?"

Glaring playfully, she recited, "That's because papa always did it! But, papa had to go early today so he couldn't do it today, remember?"

"What the hell are you…" confusion plastered his face but was soon replaced with recognition. Slowly, the tips of his mouth tugged up slightly as he gave her a meaningful look. Exhaling exasperatedly, he shook his head as he looked towards the ground, hands on his hips, "Man, you still remember those things?"

"What do you mean 'those' things?" Taki frowned, "To me, they are all precious memories!"

"Yeah, yeah. I know," he laughed, feeling the tension in his body dissipate slightly.

"Besides, you remember them too!"

That, he did.

" _Ew, you're smiling creepily again."_

" _Is that how you talk to someone you want a favour from," he growled._

" _Owowow, you ganguro! That hurts!"_

_Where are your manners? Didn't your papa teach you better? Haaah, whatever happened to being respectful to your elders."_

" _I have manners. Taki is a good girl."_

" _I don't see them."_

Both within his head and outside, her voice chimed, a lower frequency than in his memory but with the same innocence as before. There was also his voice, carrying different yet similar emotions as he had in the past. Eyes softening, he looked at her warmly. Man, where had the time gone? He could still remember the day they met, their second meeting, the fire in her eyes and the vulnerability of her young mind. Strong yet weak, immature yet precocious – he loved her so much and time only strengthened it. In his mind, she was still the three foot something toddler that could only grasp onto his pinky with the whole of her hand. But in front of him now, he had to face reality. No longer was she a defenseless baby. Now, she stood there with a mind of her own. A young adult who was to make decisions on her own.

"Please help me tie me hair," she grinned, holding out her hair tie. It was such a familiar action, and he felt reminiscence clench his chest.

"Who are you asking?" he asked, fighting off the tightness within his throat.

" _Please help me tie my hair, Ahomine-sensei."_

"Please help me tie me hair," she repeated, making eye contact, "Daddy."

Staring at her, he felt his chest ache, and tears form. Brushing them off, he approached her, and together they sat down. Wordlessly, he began to bundle her hair together into a pony tail, hands now moving automatically from years of practice. In his hands though, her hair was different. So much longer, much thicker than her hair before… and her height… No longer was she the tiny child he had held.

Suppressing his nostalgia, he muttered, "How's that? Does it feel weird?"

Turning to face him, she beamed, "Not this time. It's perfect."

Still wearing a content expression, she took the basketball from him, dribbling around. Following her, the pair met at the center, him easily towering over her. Readying themselves in their stances, their eyes never left one another. Quiet, not a sound in the courtyard of their property, the two lone figures stood, unmoving, testing one another. One wrong move, and they'd lose – both were well aware of that. The problem was, that Taki was so used to playing against him that she knew her too well.

On the other hand, that meant that he could easily see through her moves as well, like now.

Smoothly, he blocked off her path, not allowing her to proceed the way she wanted. That wasn't enough to deter her as she side-stepped him, dashing forward. Again, as if foreseeing that, he darted his hand back, successfully stealing the ball. Taking her moment of confusion of switching from offense to defence, Aomine spun and began to run, only to be surprised to find her standing in front of him.

"Tch," he clicked his tongue, "You let me steal it on purpose, didn't you?"

"Maybe I did, maybe I didn't."

"You're going to regret this. Don't come crying to me when you lose."

"As if I would, idiot!" she shouted, taunting him by pulling her lower eyelid down and sticking out her tongue.

"Pfft," Aomine laughed, relaxing his body to prepare to rush past her, "You look so ugly right now."

"Rude," she pouted, obviously not offended, and then mockingly said, "If so though… I must have gotten my horrid appearance from you."

"Tsk, you're like a carbon copy of Kise. If anything, it's his fault."

"You fell in love with him."

"My taste is strange."

Rolling her eyes she threw the towel in as she knew that he could bicker forever, "Whatever. Get a move on, old man."

"Man," Aomine scoffed, "Still without manners as always."

"I guess you have to teach me them, again, ne?" she smirked, challenging him.

"Tch, yeah, yeah. Just watch me own your ass."

With that, he placed a leg firmly behind him, dribbling with a controlling hand. Crouching lower, he watched as his daughter moved slightly back, guarding him at a distance. Smirking, he dashed straight ahead, seeing as how she was already moving to her left (where he usually approached from).

"Hah," he shouted, "You're a hundred years too early to – oh shit!"

Digging his heel into the ground, the tanned man tried to break as soon as he could, basketball now lying forgotten to his side. Cursing, he couldn't avoid the girl who hadn't actually moved as he predicted. Instead, he reached out to grab hold of her, knowing fully well that it would either be a collision or a fall. Choosing the latter, he hugged her close to his body, whipping himself in the air so that he would fall first. Back onto smooth pavement, he let out a grunt as he felt the scorching pain rush as they landed, tearing his shirt. Grasping Taki close as if her life depended on it, he sheltered her body from the rough ground as they skidded across the basketball court until hitting the basketball pole. Groaning, the man slowly released the girl from his grip. As he raised his eyelids, his vision was slightly blurry as he blinked it away. Replacing the darkness were a pair of eyes that matched his own, looking at him with a frantic stare.

"H-hey…are you okay?" he said, brows furrowing as he reached up to wipe a drop of blood from her face.

"Yes, I am. And before you freak out daddy, this blood – "

"Let me guess," he chuckled, "It's mine?"

Looking at him surprised, she couldn't help but shoot a smile, "…Yeah. How did you know?"

"This sort of thing happened before, didn't it."

"Mm, you saved me once before too. At the zoo."

"Man, don't bring that up. I thought I'd die first of a heart attack."

"It taught me to never run out like that again though," she laughed, relieved that he could still think properly, "Cars are scary."

"S'okay," Aomine assured her, patting her head, "I'll protect you from whatever."

"I know," she whispered back, wrapping her arms around his neck, "You've always had. And I know for as long as you live, you always will. You...always put me first. You always protect me. It's always my happiness before yours."

Rolling his eyes, he hugged her back, surprised to feel tremors run through her body, "Isn't that a given? You're my little princess, after all."

That, she knew. She always knew, and felt that she probably took it for granted. Holding the giant of a man tightly in her arms, Taki could feel the warm tears fall. At this, he began to panic but she shook her head, telling him that she was okay. There was no physical pain, nothing was wrong… except that she couldn't hold back the love she felt for him right now.

"Daddy," she breathed, in between tears, "You know that alongside Papa, I love you two most in this world, right?"

Not skipping a beat, he replied earnestly, "I love you more."

Ignoring his attempt to make her cheer up, she buried her face deeper into his chest, "I know… I also know…that if you could, I'd know you'd give me the world."

"Of course," he soothed, "To Kise and me, you are our most important treasure after all, even though you are a brat."

"I know, I know," she continued to cry, trying her best to hold back as her hair stuck to her face, "That's why if I could, I'd want to do the same for you. But, daddy, this one thing…with Souta, I can't. What you have with papa... Our feelings – it's the same, you know?"

Taking in a moment to regard his daughter's face, Aomine looked away, dropping his hands.

"I know," he started, voice far off, face nostalgic, "I could tell, even when you were young that the two of you clicked, more than two people should as 'just friends.' I knew… that one day you'd be taken away from me…but I never thought it'd be so soon."

"Tsk. What's with you and papa and the me disappearing thing?"

"No matter how much we deny it, it'll happen."

Taking his large hands into her own, smaller ones, she gave them a gentle squeeze, "Daddy, I'm not going anywhere far away. Besides, Souta is going off on his own shortly after. It's not like I'll be going with him."

"Then why bother getting married now? Can't you wait for him to come back?"

"That…well," she said softly, eyes fallen downcast and shoulders slumping, "I know that our bond should be strong enough but I'm afraid. It's strange but…This meaningless piece of paper…I don't know, somehow I know that it'll make me feel relieved."

"That certificate?"

"Mm, I know it's stupid of me but…I don't know, I just feel that if I finalize this, if we make our vows, it'll be like nothing can break us apart. In reality, I understand that it's just a word on document – nothing but a phrase to say. But right now, it makes me feel like he'll come back for sure, to his 'wife,'…. To me."

Squeezing her hands back, Aomine let his expression soften, murmuring quietly, "I can't talk you out of this, can I?"

"No," Taki says, bringing her forehead to touch his, "But I would much rather go through with this with your blessing than without."

Boring into him were her young eyes, still wide and innocent despite the time that's passed. Now though, there was a spark of something else – determination, courage…strength. She had grown up, and that was something that he had to accept. Bringing a large calm to her cheek, he rubbed her ivory skin slowly.

"You know, no matter what, this still scares me. I don't want to lose you – my first child, my only child. I nearly lost you several times before. The day you nearly got run over, the day when you suffered that fever, the day I thought I'd leave Japan on my own, the day we took you to the beach and you got lost…not to mention when you had surgery to get your appendix removed – I didn't know what I'd do if you were taken away. There was a time where I lived without knowing you existed…but now that I've come to love you so much, I don't think I could ever go back."

"You don't need to, Daddy," the blonde teen murmured tenderly, cupping his face in her small hands, "Unlike those times, I have the power to come back. All you need to do is believe in me. I'll keep in contact, I'll come over… I'll always love you."

"I know, but still I…."

"Daddy," she said, clearly and definitely, "Forever and always, no matter what happens, I'll always be my daddy's little girl."

And they both knew that this wasn't just flowery words, she meant it. It warmed his heart, it really did. And at the same time, it made him feel sad.

"Geez," Aomine sighs, voice cracking as he pulled her close, "Forever and always, it seems I'm destined to be the baka dad who can never say no to his daughter."

"Daddy?"

Pushing her against his chest, not letting her see his eyes well up, he keeps babbling to cover his embarrassment up, "You'll stay with us until he comes back. Visit at least once a week. Move back in if you ever feel lonely. Don't ever leave the country without telling us first. Come eat a meal with us once in awhile…."

For a while, the tanned man continued to say anything that popped up, sputtering nonsense and repeating words he'd already said. But Taki couldn't help but feel warmth as her father gave his blessing in his usual gruff, indirect way. Wrapping her own slender arms around him, she snuggled close to her protector of more than ten years with a grateful smile on her face. Surely, even she felt that this was the end of something that had been a part of her life, but also, this was a new beginning.

* * *

**[Back to the Present]**

"…cchi…."

"…minecchi…."

"Aominecchi!"

Groggily, the tanned man awoke from his nap, squinting from the bright light that infiltrated the shade of the tree's leaves. Through blue lenses, the man had to blink several times before his blurry vision cleared. There, kneeling over him was the familiar sight of his partner.

"Aominecchi," the golden haired man said, dismayed, "Wake up now! It's almost time for Takicchi to walk down the aisle."

"Huh? It's already that time?"

Shaking his head, the model puffed his cheeks out, irritated, "What do you mean by 'already'? How long did you sleep for?"

"I don't know," Aomine sighed, leaning back against the trunk of the giant oak.

"Don't go back to sleep!" Kise shouted, pulling the pro who nearly fell flat on his face, "It's time to see the lovely bride for yourself."

"Ah, don't pull! I'll walk by myself, all right!"

"Hurry," he whined, skipping ahead himself.

Together, the couple entered the foyer, passing small gatherings of wedding guests with polite smiles as they climbed the stairs. Taking a left towards the teen's room, Kise knocked lightly to signify their entrance. Barely waiting for Aomine to catch up, he launched himself through the door, accidentally slamming the door on the tanned man's face. Irritatingly, the giant of a man pulled the door nearly off its hinges as he entered roughly.

"Hey, what's the big idea, Kise?"

"Ne, ne, shut up, Aominecchi and look!"

"Look at wh – "

Indeed, the sight before him shut him up involuntarily. Standing elegantly with her hands folded in her front and spine curved into a slight S-shape was Taki. While she usually was naturally pretty with even her bare face, her appearance now caused her typical look to pale greatly in comparison. Now, face framed by loose, romantic curls, made with natural looking makeup and donning her gorgeous ballroom style gown, she looked like a princess right out of a fairytale. Standing gape-mouthed, Aomine could only stare.

"Daddy?" she asked, anxiously fidgeting before him, "How do I look?"

"…" still surprised, the usually quick-mouthed man found it hard to put it in words. Finally, he stuck his tongue out, "Terrible."

"What – that's mean," she immediately pouted, flashing her long lashes at him pitifully.

Laughing, he reached for her hand and squeezed it, "I meant terrible… as in terribly beautiful."

"Daddy…."

"After all, you're my kid. Obviously you'd have inherited my good lucks."

"What good looks?" she giggled, "I look just like papa, not you. Thank goodness."

"What…you…" Playfully, Aomine reached to poked her in the side, causing her to squirm from the tickling.

Watching them, Kise perked up, relief coming over him in a gentle wave, "Now, now, don't cry, Takicchi. That's what all the boys in the world will be doing when they find out that you're taken."

"You're exaggerating," she giggled, but nonetheless was happy to be praised so much.

"I'm only being honest," Kise said in a gentle, low voice, stroking her cheek with a slender finger.

Dropping his hand, the blonde then adjusted his daughter's veil and smiled contently, "All right, Takicchi. It seems to be about time for you to walk down the aisle with Aominecchi."

"Hah? What about you, Kise?" the tanned man asked, raising an eyebrow.

"It's okay," the model smiled, "I'll be watching from the audience."

"Nah, that isn't right," Aomine protested, "You should get to do this."

"It's okay."

"No, it isn't."

"Why are you being so stubborn?"

"I could ask the same of you!"

"Don't you want to walk her?"

"Of course I do! But you've been with her since birth. I'm sure she'd rather have you."

"That's irrelevant."

"You're irrelevant."

"Oh, so now we're making personal attacks?"

"Whatcha going to do about it?"

"Anyways, you should walk her."

"No, you."

"No, you."

"You."

"You."

"Oh my god," Taki exclaimed, rolling her eyes, "Both of you children, please, just shut up."

At her words, both men stopped quibbling right away, not wanting to be the one who ruins their princess' special day. As silence fell in the room, Taki shook her head and gave them both a shy smile.

"Actually," she mused, "I already have decided how I'm going to walk down the aisle."

"Oh," Kise replied, sheepishly, "Sorry, Takicchi."

Shrugging his shoulders, Aomine added, "So how's it going to be?"

"Well," Taki winked, linking one arm with Kise and the other with Aomine's, "I plan to go with my two favourite men, one on each side. Any objections?"

Bewildered, neither men could utter a word as they exchanged glances. Realizing that their little girl had singlehandedly come to an amazing solution, they couldn't help but break into laughter.

"So your brain actually works, huh?" Aomine teased, smiling fondly.

"Better than yours, actually," she quipped back.

"Our little Takicchi is all grown up now," Kise sighed, nostalgically.

"That's right," she grinned, "Now, off we go~ Until the end! The three musketeers!"

Arms linked together in an unbreakable chain, the three of them walked down the spiral staircase and through the double doors. Hand in hand, they made their way out into the bright sun, where their future laid just metres away.

* * *

Following the walk down the aisle, the two men handed the girl off without incident, save for a couple of threats by Aomine towards the young bridegroom. Afterwards, the rest of the procession went without a hitch, with the newly wedded couple sharing a quaint kiss, first toast and cutting the cake. After an early dinner, the traditional father-daughter dance(s), and a lot of silly club dancing (courtesy of Kise's sisters), the reception was nearing the end. Standing up, Taki, still stunning in her dress approached the rented stage and tapped on her microphone, calling for everyone to gather. Fidgeting were all of her school friends because they realized what was to come – the tossing of the bouquet.

Standing in the back, watching the girl peacefully were the girl's parents, hand in hand. Head on his lover's shoulder, Kise let out a contented sigh.

"She looks so beautiful."

"Mm," Aomine agreed, nuzzling into Kise's mop of golden hair.

"I was anxious at first, but today was worth all the worrying."

"Mhmm."

"Takicchi…she's really happy, isn't she?"

Pausing, the tanned man raised the blonde's chin, and kissed him gently, "Yeah. And I'm happy that she found someone to love."

"Just like you and me."

"Mm."

Gravitating towards each other, both men drunk in on their mutual love, bathed in contentedness. Wrapping their arms around each other, they pulled away slightly to absorb the sight of one another. As they were about to lean in once more for another kiss though, something lightly plopped down between their chests. Puzzled, they both glanced down and eyes widened at the sight.

There, nestled between the two grown men, was the bouquet that was shortly in the hands of the girl. Blinking, the disoriented men looked up to the stage to find a mischievously smirking bride.

"Ah," she said with painfully fake surprise, "Looks like I don't know my own strength. Teehee."

Playing along, Souta acted slightly better, "Oh. It seems like Ryouta-san and Daiki-san has caught the flowers. They are already married though. What should they do?"

"Hmm, why don't they say their vows again," Taki suggested, a devilish grin plastered over her otherwise angelic face.

"Oh, what a great idea," Souta chimed, waving his hand as if giving a signal.

"Hell no," Aomine growled, turning to walk back towards the house.

In this case, Kise agreed. He didn't want to embarrass himself in front of everyone.

Unfortunately, two pairs of arms had already grabbed hold of them and were dragging them onto the stage.

"What the - ! Tetsu? Akashi?! The hell!"

Winking playfully towards the struggling couple were the groom's own parents, mercilessly bringing the two up the stairs. Once there, the two men found themselves trapped by their daughter's stare.

It seemed to warn them that there was no way to escape now.

Giving up, Kise bit his lips, "Okay, fine. What do you want us to do, Takicchi?"

Beaming brightly at the two, she began jumping up and down excitedly, "Say your vows again!"

"How the hell would we remember them," Aomine snarled, "That was what, ten years ago?"

"Just make up new ones," Souta shrugged, "What was that saying? 'Out with the old and in with the new?"

"I'm not sure that really applies here," Kise mumbled.

"Come on," Taki urged, "Just say how you feel. Pretty please?"

"Tsk," Aomine sighed, "Kise, you start."

"Huh? Why me?"

"Because I said so."

"No way," the blonde whined, "You start."

"Nuh uh."

"Come on."

"Over my dead body."

"You start."

"No, you."

"You!"

"You!"

"Oh jeez, how many times has this been today?" Taki explodes, "Behave your age!"

"He started it!" Aomine pointed.

"No, he did!"

"Hush, you two," the bride scolded, bopping both on their heads, "Play rock, paper, scissors. Loser goes first."

"Fine."

"Whatever."

At this, the two faced off, hiding their fist.

"Rock, paper, scissors!"

Quickly, the two shouted the hand out, revealing their chosen weapons. As luck would have it, the goddess of victory shined on Aomine, having beaten Kise with rock to his scissors.

"Hah, you go first, Kise."

Blood draining from his face, the blonde gulped, palms moist with sweat. Noticing his apprehension, Taki gave him a reassuring pat as she whispered in his ear, "Don't be embarrassed. Say how you really feel. The sappier it gets, the more embarrassed  _he_  will be. Remember how shy he is?"

Smiling faintly, the model shook his head, slapping his cheeks. Taking in a deep breath, he turned decisively to face the tanned basketball pro and spoke loud and clearly.

"Aominecchi. Since we met, my love for you hasn't changed," Kise started, cringing at his own cheesiness, "I promise to cherish you, until even after death do we part."

Stone faced, the tanned man shivered slightly at the absolute corniness but refused to give in. Staring the yellow-eyed man intently, he sucked up his pride and grabbed onto Kise's hand. Blushing, he slapped the model's palm over his chest.

"U-um, Aominecchi…."

Despite his courage before, Kise felt himself turn red as he felt the other man's heart race beneath his hand. Unable to take his eyes away, nor make eye contact, he decided that the safest bet was to just stare at Aomine's chest.

Lucky for him, the basketball pro let him do so, continuing to speak at him.

"…For you, you said that your love hasn't changed," the blue-haired man started, azure eyes landing tenderly on the blonde's face, "But for me, it has never stopped changing."

"…Eh?" Kise looked up, surprised and worried. Immediately after though, he found his breath sucked away.

Bringing a hand up to cup the model's cheeks, Aomine chuckled, "It's never stopped growing, and I doubt it ever will. From the day I met you, I found myself loving you more with each passing day. Kise, you're an idiot, sometimes annoying, but you're an amazing dad and perfect partner. I admire you as you admired me, and nothing makes me happier than being able to call you mine."

"Aominecchi," Kise murmured, trying to look away shyly, "Geez, don't steal the cool parts for yourself."

Chuckling, he leaned down to plant a kiss on the leaner man's lips.

"Kise, until the day I die, I promise to love you more with each passing day."

"And I, you," the blonde smiled, falling into the other's warm embrace.

With that, they shared another chaste kiss, renewing yet another promise to love and cherish forever. Around them, the festive courtyard exploded into applause, cheering for their happiness. Noticing the tear filled bride, the two men pulled her into a hug alongside their new son-in-law. Entwined in a close embrace, they stayed together as the day drew to a close and the guests began to file out. Soon, the once vibrant yard was reduced to a rather empty area, with only the ghost of memories lingering in its air. Silently, the six remaining people gathered on the stage to watch as the sun set, bathing in one another's company in the warm glow, each occupied by their own thoughts. Yet as one, their feelings were the same. Surrounded by the people they loved, there wasn't one regret or complaint – just placid happiness.

* * *

_After all, the passage of time stops for no one._

* * *

Closing his eyes, Aomine drifted off quietly as he laid his head on the shoulders of a familiar scented blonde. Hand held entwined with his partner's, he relaxed at the sounds of conversation.

"Ne, Takicchi," Kise's soothing voice rang, "Congratulations."

* * *

_We all grow up;_

* * *

"Papa, congratulations to you, too for renewing your vows!"

* * *

_And we all grow old._

* * *

"Ah, Taki-san," Kuroko chimed in, "Would you like some leftover cake?"

"Oh, no thanks…"

"No way," Aomine shook his head, eyes widening, "The glutton is not declining food. I must be dreaming."

* * *

_Seasons change and so do people._

* * *

"I just don't feel so good…."

"Oh, is your morning sickness getting worse?" Souta asked, worriedly.

Puzzled, Kise shifted closer, "Huh? What morning sickness?"

"Oh…shoot…"

* * *

_But that doesn't mean that we have to hold on to the past._

* * *

Crimson eyes wavered, glancing at the newlywed bride guiltily.

Dismissing his concern, the girl sighed, sitting up straighter, "Well, this is probably not the best time to announce this but… since Souta brought it up…."

* * *

_There may be times when we wish to turn back time, but nonetheless we'll always strive forward._

* * *

"Daddy, papa, Tetsu-kun, Seijuuro-san…" the girl smiled lovingly, placing her hand and Souta's entwined onto her stomach, "You're all going to be grandfathers five months from now."

* * *

_With each new day we find that our old bonds strengthen, while new bonds are formed._

* * *

"Kise-kun," Kuroko teased, "Are you shedding tears?"

"Shh! Kurokocchi, you're crying a bit too."

"Akashi-kun is too," the smaller man pouted.

Akashi, displeased, quickly wiped away the tears, "Silence. I was doing no such thing, unlike a certain ganguro."

"What? I ain't crying!"

"Why are you all crying," the girl puffed her cheeks out, "Aren't you supposed to be happy?"

Laughing lightly, Kise patted her on the head, "We are happy, Takiichi. We're crying tears of happiness."

Kuroko and Akashi, both nodding in agreement spoke in unison, "May the child be born healthy."

"What he said," Aomine whispered, walking to join in as he kissed her on the forehead, Congratulations. Our little brat is finally having a brat of her own, huh?"

Frowning slightly, Souta walked towards the small crowd and pulled his wife away. Wrapping himself protectively around the mother-to-be, he looked defiantly at the four older men.

"Not  _her_  brat, but  _our_  brat. I fully intend to treasure not only my lovely wife but child too."

At his words, Taki began to flail, at a lost on how to react. Blushing furiously, she failed again and again to find the right words. Exchanging looks, Aomine and Kise burst out into full on, body shaking laughter. Falling over, they clung onto each other, heaving desperately for air between their fits of giggles, only causing the young girl to become even more flustered. Slowly, everyone joined in, filling the evening sky with the sounds of everlasting joy. Hands entwined, Aomine and Kise laid on their backs, chest rising with each breath. In the glow of the warm, orange sun, their laughter marked the end of another chapter in their lives, and the beginning of another. But no matter what, they had each other… and that was all that mattered.

* * *

_To you who will forever have a place in my heart,_

_Thank you for always loving me,_

_Thank you for having been born in this world,_

_Thank you to you who has always been there alongside me,_

_Through rain or shine,_

_And until the end, I'll be by your side holding your hand,_

_I love you._

* * *

**The End.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: …and this is the real end. Sorry that this ended up being released a bit late but there was a reason (besides life being a bi*ch and throwing things at me). Looking at the date, I realized that today would mark exactly 1 year since published my first fanfic and in 2 days it'd be the one year anniversary of Taki. So it made me a bit emotional. Once again, thank you to all my readers, old and new for following me on this journey. I really enjoyed myself writing this, despite all the ups and downs. I hope that you enjoyed the ride with me and that the ending was satisfactory. Thanks you once again and I love you all ^^


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